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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Apr 9.
Published in final edited form as: Rev Hum Factors Ergon. 2013 Sep 1;8(1):4–54. doi: 10.1177/1557234X13492976

Table 4.

Macroergonomic System Factors Shaping Patient’s or Family’s “Work” Performance

Work System Elements Examples of System Elements Shaping Patient’s or Family’s “Work” Performance
People Given what they are asked to or want to do, do patients or families have adequate knowledge, skills, and abilities?
How motivated are they?
What are their goals and how well do they align with the goals of clinicians or the healthcare system?
Tasks How difficult or complex are the tasks relative to patients’ or families’ abilities?
How many tasks are to be done and how are tasks allocated to patients, families, and health care clinicians?
How do these tasks align with the perceived or desired roles of those individuals?
Tools/technologies Do patients or families have the information they need or the means for obtaining the information?
Do they have technology to track or communicate information?
Do they have the medical equipment needed for self-monitoring and therapy?
Is the technology they have compatible with planned interventions, such as e-mail reminders or informational websites?
Organization Are patients and families recognized as partners in their health and care?
What rights do they have?
Do their schedules align with those of the health system’s?
Environment Do patients or families have a place to do their work?
Is it free of noise and distractions? Is there adequate lighting, privacy, space, and utilities?
Are their living arrangements conducive to healthy behaviors?
Do surrounding social, political, legal, and educational systems facilitate or impede patients’ or families’ activities?