Design, Development, and Evaluation of the Blood Collection Management Workstation

Abstract

Purpose: To design and develop a blood collection management workstation with high usability to reduce the risk of preanalytical errors and improve patient safety. Methods: A five-phase mobile application development lifecycle model (MADLC) and experience-based co-design (EBCD) were used for design and development. Subsequently, the blood collection management workstation was evaluated using the Chinese System Usability Scale (SUS) in a general ward setting from January to June 2021. Results: It was used on 2593 in-patients who underwent phlebotomy with 12,378 tubes being labeled. The rate of errors and meantime for blood sampling were decreased compared with the same period in the previous year. A total of 14 nurses agreed to participate in the evaluation, and the overall raw SUS score was 69.26 ± 10.39, which indicated above average results. Conclusion: The blood collection management workstation has shown the potential to decrease errors and improve working efficiency in a clinical setting. The study also identified some weaknesses, which will be amended in the future.