Supporting field investigators with PVS: A case study in the healthcare domain

Abstract

This paper reports the lessons learnt about the benefits of using a formal verification tool like PVS to support field studies. The presentation is based on a field study in the healthcare domain which was designed to investigate the resilience of human behaviour in an oncology ward of a hospital. The automated reasoning tool PVS was used systematically to compare actual practice observed during the field study with normative behaviour described for example by user manuals for the devices involved. The approach helped (i) identify latent situations that could lead to hazard, and (ii) suggest situations likely to warrant further investigation as part of the field study. The main contribution of this paper is a set of detailed examples that illustrate how we used PVS during the field study, and how the tool led to insights. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.