The empirical investigation of adverse childhood events (ACEs) and their relationship with health and well-being outcomes in later life is increasing. Less is known about factors that may promote resilience for those who have survived such challenges, such as how resilience may be facilitated for those with ACEs residing in a marginalized region such as South Central Appalachia. Multidimensional spirituality, social support, stigma related to ACEs, and Appalachian acculturation may serve as both valid cultural factors and potential indicators of resilience. Cross-sectional, simultaneous multiple regression analysis was performed on data collected from 272 adult patients of a South Central Appalachian based medically assisted treatment (MAT) program utilizing PROCESS macro (Hayes, 2018). Participants were 53.8% male, 94.4% Caucasian, 44.9% aged 35-50 years old, and 63.6% employed. Endorsement of increased spirituality was helpful for those in MAT in South Central Appalachia who self-reported ACEs. However, as one endorsed an increasing number of ACEs, spirituality was no longer salient but instead was associated with worsened health outcomes and lessened hope. The three dimensions of spirituality (Ritualistic, Theistic, and Existential) moderated these relationships in similar but nuanced ways. Social support, on the other hand, improved mental health regardless of ACE score. Stigma and Appalachian acculturation were only related to other variables at the bivariate level but not within the hypothesized moderation model. Our study offers preliminary insight into culturally relevant resilience within South Central Appalachia, however additional investigation is needed to better understand the complex facets of health and well-being outcomes in this marginalized region.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Architecture (Professional), Johannesburg 2017 / This thesis studies the place and nature of the concept of play in society through the exploration of objects and spaces that stimulate, encourage or deter the notion of play. Nominated spaces that will ideally contribute to the study of play are reviewed, focusing in particular on areas within the local context of Johannesburg where a notion of play takes or could inherently take place. But in order to draw an understanding and a cognitive inspiration, toys are reviewed as objects of play. Toys are studied with the intention of identifying the role it encompasses and the integrity of the notion of play, with a focus on local toy design and manufacture in relation to the international market. / XL2018

This paper aims to answer the question of how artificial intelligence could help humans maintain and/or improve situational awareness in search and rescue operations at sea, as well as where in such processes artificial intelligence could be incorporated to most efficiently compensate for human vulnerabilities and support human strengths. In order to answer this, a joint cognitive system perspective has been adopted whilst joining in search and rescue practice operations. These operations have been observed and persons participating in them have been interviewed, in order to gather insights about the process and the persons conducting it. The results from these insights coupled with experience with artificial intelligence and automation, show that artificial intelligence could help improve and/or maintain situational awareness by adopting functions which take up unnecessary time from man. According to the joint cognitive system view, these functions should never be solely performed by artificial intelligence however, but in coagency with man; allocated functions should overlap between man and machine. Suggestions have been given regarding which functions in particular an artificial intelligent agent could perform in terms of search and rescue and where these functions occur in the process. None of these suggestions are without man involvement, as they should not be. To summarise, these suggestions include; a UAV equipped with an infrared camera to search large areas quickly, a decision support system equipped with image recognition to analyse images gathered from the UAV, as well as a communication tool which allows for shared search patterns and hotspots between search and rescue units. / WARA-PS

Mobile commerce can be seen as the phenomenon, which is likely to take over e-commerce since purchasing online is increasing on mobile applications (Parameswari, 2015). The problem this study addresses is the uncertainty that may follow when purchasing online via mobile applications. The purpose of this study is to investigate some human and technology factors for perceived trust in mobile applications. Human factors are defined as the same thing as user factors throughout this thesis.   This will answer the research question: What are the most important user and technology factors for perceived trust in mobile applications? The study is limited to two main areas (human and technology factors) that have been broken down into three subgroups based on perceived trust. These subgroups are: informative context for decision-making, ease of use and payment methods.   To gather data, an online self-completion questionnaire was conducted and was sent out to different social groups on Facebook. The participated segmentation resulted in needing to be modified according to uneven response rates in the different age groups. The target group went from the whole Swedish population to only people in the ages span of 16-32. The collected data was processed in the analysis program SPSS to find relations among the variables.   All the chosen factors resulted in being of great importance for users to perceived trust in mobile applications and to increase the interactivity between human and machine. However, only payment methods showed a significant value in relation to perceived trust. This result will be useful to companies when developing mobile applications to keep customers and increase sales.

O objetivo desta pesquisa é entender como se dá a relação entre fatores humanos e práticas de gestão de baixo carbono sob a perspectiva da Visão Baseada em Recursos (VBR) no setor de biodiversidade, por meio da realização de survey e estudo de múltiplos casos. Assim, a seguinte problemática de pesquisa é elaborada: qual é a relação existente entre fatores humanos críticos de sucesso e a adoção de práticas de gestão de baixo carbono (sendo a Visão Baseada em Recursos o pano de fundo na análise)? A análise quantitativa (por meio da Modelagem de Equações Estruturais) evidenciou que as três ramificações da hipótese principal foram aceitas - sendo que a primeira com maior coeficiente que a segunda; e a segunda com maior coeficiente que a terceira. Dessa forma, observou-se que os fatores humanos influenciaram mais as práticas de gestão de baixo carbono de produto; em segundo lugar, as práticas de processo; e por fim as práticas de logística. A pesquisa qualitativa baseou-se na estratégia de múltiplos casos, com foco principal na relação entre os fatores humanos críticos de sucesso e a adoção (evolução) das práticas organizacionais de gestão de baixo carbono. Os resultados evidenciaram que as empresas se encontram em diferentes estágios de maturidade em relação às práticas organizacionais de gestão de baixo carbono, variando desde o estágio mais alto até o mais baixo. Verificou-se que a intensidade (de presença) dos fatores humanos críticos de sucesso foi maior à medida que a organização possuísse maior adoção de práticas de gestão de baixo carbono / The aim of this research is to understand the relationship between human factors and low carbon management practices from the perspective of the Resource Based View (VBR) in the biodiversity sector, through a survey and multiple cases study. Thus, the following research question is proposed: what is the relationship between human critical success factors and the adoption of low carbon management practices (Resource Based View as the background to the analysis)? The quantitative analysis (through Structural Equations Modeling) showed that all the three ramifications of the main hypothesis were accepted - the first one having a higher coefficient than the second one; and the second one with a higher coefficient than the third one. Thus, it was observed that the human factors influenced more the low carbon management practices of product; secondly, the process practices; and finally the logistics practices. The qualitative research was based on multiple case approach (6 cases), with a main focus on the relationship between critical human success factors and the adoption (evolution) of low carbon management organizational practices. The results showed that companies can be placed at different stages of maturity in relation to organizational practices of low carbon management, ranging from the highest to the lowest stage. It was found that the intensity of critical human success factors was greater as the organization had more adoption of low carbon management practices

O objetivo desta pesquisa é entender como se dá a relação entre fatores humanos e práticas de gestão de baixo carbono sob a perspectiva da Visão Baseada em Recursos (VBR) no setor de biodiversidade, por meio da realização de survey e estudo de múltiplos casos. Assim, a seguinte problemática de pesquisa é elaborada: qual é a relação existente entre fatores humanos críticos de sucesso e a adoção de práticas de gestão de baixo carbono (sendo a Visão Baseada em Recursos o pano de fundo na análise)? A análise quantitativa (por meio da Modelagem de Equações Estruturais) evidenciou que as três ramificações da hipótese principal foram aceitas - sendo que a primeira com maior coeficiente que a segunda; e a segunda com maior coeficiente que a terceira. Dessa forma, observou-se que os fatores humanos influenciaram mais as práticas de gestão de baixo carbono de produto; em segundo lugar, as práticas de processo; e por fim as práticas de logística. A pesquisa qualitativa baseou-se na estratégia de múltiplos casos, com foco principal na relação entre os fatores humanos críticos de sucesso e a adoção (evolução) das práticas organizacionais de gestão de baixo carbono. Os resultados evidenciaram que as empresas se encontram em diferentes estágios de maturidade em relação às práticas organizacionais de gestão de baixo carbono, variando desde o estágio mais alto até o mais baixo. Verificou-se que a intensidade (de presença) dos fatores humanos críticos de sucesso foi maior à medida que a organização possuísse maior adoção de práticas de gestão de baixo carbono / The aim of this research is to understand the relationship between human factors and low carbon management practices from the perspective of the Resource Based View (VBR) in the biodiversity sector, through a survey and multiple cases study. Thus, the following research question is proposed: what is the relationship between human critical success factors and the adoption of low carbon management practices (Resource Based View as the background to the analysis)? The quantitative analysis (through Structural Equations Modeling) showed that all the three ramifications of the main hypothesis were accepted - the first one having a higher coefficient than the second one; and the second one with a higher coefficient than the third one. Thus, it was observed that the human factors influenced more the low carbon management practices of product; secondly, the process practices; and finally the logistics practices. The qualitative research was based on multiple case approach (6 cases), with a main focus on the relationship between critical human success factors and the adoption (evolution) of low carbon management organizational practices. The results showed that companies can be placed at different stages of maturity in relation to organizational practices of low carbon management, ranging from the highest to the lowest stage. It was found that the intensity of critical human success factors was greater as the organization had more adoption of low carbon management practices

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:39:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria Luiza Pigini Santiago Pereira.pdf: 1849657 bytes, checksum: 30dbe3b09861ad8c0ec332ec42d2a9a8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-11-09 / The practice of airborne activity is seen as naturally adverse to the human being, this way it is considered a risky activity. Nonetheless, it represents one the most outstanding areas of performance in modern society. Despite the adversities that are characteristic to it and, for this same reason, despite involving a highly complex system, regulated and controlled, it includes professionals that are always highly motivated. The complexity of the aeronautical system, in turn, seeks to answer the expectation that, regardless the risks involved, the practice of the airborne activity is performed in an effective and safe way. To approach some of these contradictions, the present study defends the thesis of applicability of the Resilience concept, as a process of human development, in the area of human factors, in airborne environment. To test its feasibility, this conceptual model was used in the analysis of the well-succeeded performance presented by the Brazilian First Fighter Squadron (1º GAvCa) in its role during World War II. This analysis was feasible by means of a research, under a qualiquantitative approach, from life experiences of a total of 95 veterans, published in the media or obtained by applying a questionnaire to the accessible subjects. These experiences, presented in the form of speeches, were treated under the Collective Subject Speech Method. Contextualized from a historical research and the study of the symbolic of the 1o. GAvCa, the data collected permitted the unveiling of the presumed variables in the concept of Resilience, that is, context of adversity, protective factors, resilience mechanisms and positive outcome on adaptation. Facing this result, the author shows the feasibility of the approach of the unpredictable changes of the interaction man-environment-machine in the airborne environment, under Resilience approach. Moreover, it points out the advantages of its usage, allowing a higher amplitude in the analysis and improvement in the aeronautical system processes, since this approach includes the contemplation of both the risk and resilience factors, as well as enriching the positive outcome regardless the risk factors or adversity / A prática da atividade aérea é vista como naturalmente adversa ao ser humano, sendo, assim considerada uma atividade de risco. Não obstante, representa uma área de atuação das mais preponderantes na sociedade moderna. A despeito das adversidades que lhe são características e, por essa mesma razão, apesar de suscitar um sistema altamente complexo, regulamentado e controlado, insere profissionais que se mantêm altamente motivados. A complexidade do sistema aeronáutico, por sua vez, procura responder à expectativa de que, apesar dos riscos envolvidos, a prática da atividade aérea se efetive de maneira segura e eficaz. Para abordar algumas dessas contradições, o presente trabalho defende a tese da aplicabilidade do conceito de Resiliência, como um processo do desenvolvimento das pessoas, na área de fatores humanos, em ambiente de aviação. Para testar sua viabilidade, esse modelo conceitual foi utilizado na análise do desempenho bem-sucedido apresentado pelo Primeiro Grupo de Aviação de Caça do Brasil (1º GAvCa) em sua participação na Segunda Guerra Mundial. Essa análise foi viabilizada através de uma pesquisa, sob abordagem qualitativa e quantitativa, a partir de testemunhos de vida de um total de 95 ex-combatentes, publicados em diversos meios de comunicação ou obtidos pela aplicação de um questionário aos indivíduos acessíveis. Esses testemunhos, apresentados em forma de discursos, foram tratados sob o Método do Discurso do Sujeito Coletivo. Contextualizados a partir de uma pesquisa histórica e do estudo da simbólica do 1º GAvCa, os dados encontrados permitiram o desvelamento das variáveis pressupostas no conceito de Resiliência, quais sejam, contexto de adversidade, fatores de proteção, fatores de resiliência e resultado positivo em termos de adaptação. Diante desse resultado, a autora demonstra a viabilidade da abordagem das vicissitudes da interação homem-meio-máquina em ambiente de aviação, sob o enfoque da Resiliência. Além disso aponta as vantagens de sua utilização, permitindo uma maior amplitude na análise e melhoria de processos no sistema aeronáutico, haja vista essa abordagem incluir a contemplação de fatores de proteção e de resiliência, e por também valorizar os resultados positivos a despeito dos fatores de risco ou adversidade

A usabilidade é um aspecto de grande importância na área de produtos eletromédicos, pois um mau uso de algum produto pode acarretar sérios problemas de saúde ao paciente ou até mesmo sua morte. De forma a mitigar tal problema, a NBR IEC 60601-1-6 (referente à usabilidade nos produtos eletromédicos) passou a ser obrigatória para certificação de produtos eletromédicos no Brasil a partir de dezembro de 2015. Entretanto, tal norma ainda deixa muitas dúvidas de aplicação a equipes de projeto. Para mitigar esse problema, alguns temas da literatura poderiam ser aplicados. Um deles é o de Processo de Desenvolvimento de Produtos (PDP). Os modelos de PDP e os métodos de gestão de requisitos poderiam melhorar os processos das empresas da área eletromédica, assim como a teoria de User-Centred Design (UCD) e métodos voltados ao usuário poderiam melhorar o envolvimento do usuário no desenvolvimento de produtos e consequentemente a sua usabilidade. Entretanto, pôde-se notar que as empresas de pequeno porte não seguem as orientações da teoria, algumas sequer as conhecem, e quando conhecem, possuem dificuldades em suas aplicações. O objetivo dessa pesquisa é desenvolver um framework para aplicação de métodos de UCD no PDP de empresas de produtos eletromédicos, com o foco na fase de desenvolvimento de conceito, contendo a integração de métodos de UCD e de gestão de requisitos com a teoria dos modelos de PDP e com os requisitos normativos. Para tal, é seguida nessa pesquisa uma metodologia que compreende três fases: (I) fundamentação teórica e empírica (realizada por revisão da literatura e estudos de caso exploratórios), (II) desenvolvimento do framework (por meio de modelagem), e (III) verificação (com utilização de focus group e entrevistas com especialistas). A avaliação do framework foi considerada positiva. A sequência e a inclusão de dos passos se mostrou válida e lógica; os métodos propostos e o material de apoio elaborado foram considerados pertinentes ao desenvolvimento de produtos; e a organização de todas as entregas, juntamente com sua conexão com os passos, ajuda muito na elaboração do arquivo de engenharia de usabilidade. O framework desenvolvido ajuda as equipes de projeto a envolver o usuário no desenvolvimento de produtos e na busca por produtos com maior usabilidade. Além dessas contribuições empíricas, essa pesquisa traz a contribuição teórica da conexão do PDP com detalhamento de métodos. / Usability is an aspect of great importance in the area of electromedical products, since a misuse of some product can cause serious health problems to the patient or even his death. In order to mitigate such a problem, NBR IEC 60601-1-6 (referring to usability in electromedical products) became mandatory for certification of electromedical products in Brazil since December 2015. However, this standard still leaves many application doubts to project teams. To mitigate this problem, some literature issues could be applied. One is the Product Development Process (PDP). PDP models and requirements management methods could improve the processes of companies in the electromedical area, as well as User-Centred Design (UCD) theory and user-oriented methods could improve user involvement in product development and consequently its usability. However, it may be noted that small companies do not follow the theory\'s guidelines, some do not even know them, and when they do, they have difficulties in their applications. Thus, the objective of this research is to develop a framework for the application of UCD methods in the PDP of electromedical products companies, focusing on the concept development phase, containing the integration of UCD methods and requirements management with the theory of PDP models and with the standard requirements. For this, a methodology is followed, which includes three phases: (I) theoretical and empirical foundation (done by literature review and exploratory case studies), (II) framework development (through modeling), and (III) verification (using focus group and interviews with specialists). The framework evaluation was considered positive. The sequence and inclusion of the steps proved to be valid and logical; the methods proposed and the developed supporting material were considered relevant to the development of products; and the organization of all deliveries, along with its connection to the steps, helps a lot in the development of the usability engineering file. The developed framework helps project teams to engage the user in product development and the search for products with greater usability. Besides these empirical contributions, this research brings the theoretical contribution of the connection of the PDP with details of methods.

L'homme reste l'un des éléments essentiels des opérations de transport modernes. Les méthodes d'analyse de la fiabilité humaine (HRA) fournissent une approche multidisciplinaire pour évaluer l'interaction entre les humains et le système. Cette thèse propose une nouvelle méthodologie HRA appelée PRELUDE (Performance shaping factor based human REliability assessment using vaLUation-baseD systems). Les facteurs de performance sont utilisés pour caractériser un contexte opérationnel dangereux. Le cadre de la théorie des fonctions de croyance et des systèmes d'évaluation (VBS) utilise des règles mathématiques pour formaliser l'utilisation de données d'experts et la construction d'un modèle de fiabilité humaine, il est capable de représenter toutes sortes d'incertitudes. Pour prédire la probabilité d'erreur humaine dans un contexte donné, et de fournir une remontée formelle pour réduire cette probabilité. La deuxième partie de ce travail démontre la faisabilité de PRELUDE avec des données empiriques. Un protocole pour obtenir des données à partir de simulateurs, et une méthode de transformation et d'analyse des données sont présentés. Une campagne expérimentale sur simulateur est menée pour illustrer la proposition. Ainsi, PRELUDE est en mesure d'intégrer des données provenant de sources (empiriques et expertes) et de types (objectifs et subjectifs) différents. Cette thèse aborde donc le problème de l'analyse des erreurs humaines, en tenant compte de l'évolution du domaine des méthodes HRA. Elle garde la facilité d'utilisation de l'industrie ferroviaire, fournissant des résultats qui peuvent facilement être intégrés avec les analyses de risques traditionnelles. Dans un monde de plus en plus complexe et exigeant, PRELUDE fournira aux opérateurs ferroviaires et aux autorités réglementaires une méthode permettant de s'assurer que le risque lié à l'interaction humaine est compris et géré de manière appropriée dans son contexte. / Humans are and remain one of the critical constituents of modern transport operations. Human Reliability Analysis (HRA) methods provide a multi-disciplinary approach: systems engineering and cognitive science methods to evaluate the interaction between humans and the system. This thesis proposes a novel HRA methodology acronymed PRELUDE (Performance shaping factor based human REliability assessment using vaLUation-baseD systEms). Performance shaping factors (PSFs) are used to characterize a dangerous operational context. The proposed framework of Valuation-based System (VBS) and belief functions theory (BFT) uses mathematical rules to formalize the use of expert data and construction of a human reliability model capable of representing all kinds of uncertainty. PRELUDE is able to predict the human error probability given a context, and also provide a formal feedback to reduce the said probability. The second part of this work demonstrates the feasibility of PRELUDE with empirical data from simulators. A protocol to obtain data, a transformation and data analysis method is presented. An experimental simulator campaign is carried out to illustrate the proposition. Thus, PRELUDE is able to integrate data from multiple sources (empirical and expert) and types (objective and subjective). This thesis, hence address the problem of human error analysis, taking into account the evolution of the HRA domain over the years by proposing a novel HRA methodology. It also keeps the rail industry’s usability in mind, providing a quantitative results which can easily be integrated with traditional risk analyses. In an increasingly complex and demanding world, PRELUDE will provide rail operators and regulatory authorities a method to ensure human interaction-related risk is understood and managed appropriately in its context.

Dans notre société, les dispositifs techniques sont envisagés pour augmenter la qualité et la rapidité d'exécution des tâches. Le domaine de la santé n'y échappe pas. Les établissements de santé investissent beaucoup pour se doter de dispositifs techniques capables d'atteindre des objectifs de performance. Quand les Hautes Autorités de Santé (HAS) recommandent de diminuer les délais d'envoi du courrier de sortie, les hôpitaux numérisent l'activité de production et de transmission du courrier. Mais aucun n'a envisagé en amont de son introduction un quelconque effet négatif sur la réalisation du courrier avec par exemple, des délais augmentés. Or il est légitime de s'interroger sur les effets des dispositifs techniques pour l'activité de production-transmission du courrier de sortie. D'autant que ce courrier assure une fonction importante puisqu'il assure la continuité des soins et la sécurité du patient.Nous avons alors cherché à déterminer l'effet de dispositifs techniques sur le délai d'envoi du courrier. Pour répondre à cette question, nous avons étudié toute la situation de travail (les dispositifs techniques, les organisations et les acteurs, individuellement et dans leurs interactions) par une approche centrée facteurs humains, en partant du constat qu'il est difficile d'interpréter les résultats des études scientifiques mesurant l'effet de ces dispositifs sans la prise en compte et la connaissance des caractéristiques techniques, organisationnelles et des acteurs peu ou pas décrites dans les études.Pour répondre à notre question de recherche, nous avons identifié et décrit les caractéristiques techniques, organisationnelles et liées aux acteurs. Et nous avons analysé leurs effets sur l'indicateur de délais d'envoi du courrier. Dans notre démarche, nous avons tout d'abord envisagé d'utiliser l'indicateur IPAQSS que les hôpitaux publics français recueillent. Mais celui-ci a été écarté de notre recherche, ne le considérant pas comme valide et ne correspondant pas à la réalité. Nous avons choisi de mesurer des délais intermédiaires, à chaque étape du processus de production - transmission du courrier pour être au plus près de la réalité et répondre ainsi à notre question de recherche. Les analyses statistiques ont porté sur 440 courriers pris dans 7 services du CHRU de Lille.Les principaux résultats montrent qu'un dispositif technique numérique ne garantit pas systématiquement une diminution des délais de réalisation des tâches. Il est nécessaire de s'intéresser à ses caractéristiques techniques pour déterminer ces délais. De plus, les mesures de délais varient sous l'effet des variables contextuelles (organisationnelles et liées aux acteurs) et pas uniquement sous le seul effet d'un dispositif technique. Par ailleurs les résultats mettent en évidence que la connaissance de la situation de travail permet d'interpréter les mesures obtenues. Avec cette connaissance, il devient possible d'agir sur les caractéristiques techniques, organisationnelles ou liées aux acteurs pour atteindre les objectifs fixés par les hôpitaux et les institutions. Notre approche centrée facteurs humains permet ainsi de proposer une méthodologie pour accompagner les hôpitaux et les institutions en vérifiant si un dispositif technique peut atteindre l'objectif escompté, en contrôlant les variations de l'effet de ce dernier sous l'influence des déterminants identifiés. / In today’s society, technical devices are expected to increase the quality and speed of task execution. The healthcare field is no exception. Healthcare establishments are investing heavily in technical devices capable of achieving certain performance objectives. When France’s High Commission for Healthcare (Haute Autorité de Santé) recommended that discharge letters should be sent out more rapidly, hospitals digitized the production and dispatching of this document. However, none of the hospitals planned ahead of time for potential negative effects of the digitization of discharge letter production (longer delays, for example). In fact, one can legitimately question whether technical devices improve discharge letter production. This matter is especially important because discharge letters ensure continuity of care and the patient’s safety.We therefore sought to determine the effect of technical devices on the speed of discharge letter production and dispatching. To address this question, we studied the work situation as a whole (i.e. technical devices, organizations, stakeholders, and their interactions) using a human factors approach. Our starting hypothesis was as follows: it is difficult to accurately interpret scientific studies of the effects of these devices without taking account of and understanding technical, organizational and stakeholder-related characteristics that are rarely described in the literature.To address the research question, we identified and described all the technical, organizational and stakeholder-related characteristics, and analyzed their effects on the speed of discharge letter production and dispatching. We first considered using the IPAQSS data that French public-sector hospitals have to collect. However, we had to exclude this variable from our research because it is not valid and does not adequately reflect reality. We therefore decided to measure the time intervals at each step in the letter production/dispatching process, in order to be as close as possible to the true situation and thus answer our research question. We performed statistical analyses on a total of 440 letters generated by seven departments at Lille University Medical Centre.Our main results showed that a digital device does not necessarily accelerate thesteps in discharge letter production; it is essential to focus on the device'stechnical characteristics when seeking to determine whether or not production isfaster.Moreover, the time intervals for the steps vary as a function of contextual variables (i.e. organizational and stakeholder-related factors) and not just under the influence of the technical device per se.Furthermore, our results showed that knowledge of the work context enables one to interpret the data obtained. This knowledge makes it possible to modify technical, organizational and stakeholder-related factors and achieve the objectives set by hospitals and institutions. Our human factors approach generated a methodology for helping hospitals and institutions to check whether a technical device can achieve the expected objectives, i.e. by monitoring the influence of the above-mentioned variables on the device’s effect.