Table 2.
Ease-of-Use Table as Scored by Platform Operators
| Category | Characteristic | Abbott |
Hain Lifescience/Bruker |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RT MTB and MTB RIF/INH |
BD |
FluoroType MTBDR |
Roche |
||||
| m2000sp | m2000rt | BD MAX | GXT96 | FCXT | cobas 6800 | ||
| Training | Training on the use and storage of reagents | 2 | NA | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Training on the use of the consumables | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | |
| Training on the use of the software | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | |
| Ease of result report interpretation | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | |
| Reagent and sample preparation | Understand the specimen preparation protocol | 2 | NA | 4 | 4 | NA | 2∗ |
| Ease of specimen preparation | 4 | NA | 4 | 4 | NA | 2 | |
| Understand the reagent instructions for use | 3† | 4 | 4 | 3 | NA | 4 | |
| Reagent storage temperature‡ | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | |
| Ease of reagent preparation | 2 | NA | 4 | 2 | NA | 5 | |
| Use of instrument and software | Ease of instrument verification | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Understand the instrument manual | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | |
| Understand the device software manual | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | |
| Ease of use of the graphic user interface | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | |
| Ease of use of the instrument software | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | |
| Ease of entering patient identifiers | 3 | NA | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
| Ease of instrument set-up for a specimen run | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | |
| Ease of performing a specimen run | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | |
| Ease of performing daily instrument maintenance | 2 | NA | 5 | 1 | NA | 4 | |
| Ease of performing weekly instrument maintenance | 1 | NA | 5 | 2 | NA | 3† | |
| Ease of performing monthly instrument maintenance | 2 | NA | 5 | 3 | NA | 4 | |
| Minimal reagent wastage and reagent batch size flexibility§ | 2 | NA | 5 | 4 | NA | 5 | |
| Ease of disposal of solid waste | 2 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | |
| Ease of disposal of liquid waste | 2 | NA | 5 | 2∗ | NA | 4 | |
| Result interpretation | Ease of viewing the result report | NA | 4 | 4 | NA | 4 | 4 |
| Ease in interpreting the result report | NA | 2 | 4¶ | NA | 4 | 3 | |
| Ease of exporting the result report | NA | 3 | 4 | NA | 4 | 4 | |
| Ease of accessing and viewing previous results | NA | 4 | 5 | NA | 4 | 4 | |
| Troubleshooting | Understand error codes or flags for run failures | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Ease of troubleshooting frequently occurring errors | 3† | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| Overall scores | Training | 12/20 | 11/15 | 20/20 | 16/20 | 16/20 | 15/20 |
| Reagent and sample preparation | 16/25 | 7/10 | 21/25 | 18/25 | 3/5 | 17/25 | |
| Use of instrument and software | 37/70 | 31/40 | 61/70 | 40/70 | 33/45 | 47/70 | |
| Result interpretation | NA | 13/20 | 17/20 | NA | 16/20 | 15/20 | |
| Troubleshooting | 7/10 | 7/10 | 6/10 | 4/10 | 4/10 | 4/10 | |
| Total | 72/125 (58%) | 69/95 (73%) | 125/145 (86%) | 78/125 (62%) | 72/100 (72%) | 98/145 (68%) | |
A Likert scale was used to assess the user’s experience for each characteristic, scored as follows: 5, very easy; 4, easy; 3, neutral; 2, difficult; and 1, very difficult.
NA, not applicable.
∗
The assigned score (2) is an average score from all operators.
†
The assigned score (3) is an average score from all operators.
‡
Ambient temperature = 5, 2°C to 8°C = 4, −20°C (or colder) = 3.
§
Minimal reagent wastage = 5, reasonable reagent wastage = 4, excessive reagent wastage = 2.
¶
The assigned score (4) is an average score from all operators.