Human Errors in Telehealth

Human errors in Telehealth diagnosis

PhD Studentship (2007 - )

Research student: Ibrahim Alwawi

Principal supervisor: Professor Patrik O’Brian Holt

Second supervisor: Dr. Yang Ju

External advisors: Professor Gordon Peterkin and Dr. Jim Ferguson

If it were not for human error there would be little justification for the area of Human Factors Engineering as an applied discipline. Research during the past 20 years has made progress in understanding and controlling human errors in human-computer interaction but technology develops fast which poses new challenges for researchers. All users of IT systems make errors and this is accepted.

This project involves collaboration between the Cognitive Engineering Research Group and the Scottish Centre for Telehealth at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. The project aims to investigate human errors in carrying out diagnosis of dermatological conditions using remote imaging. A particular focus will be on the role of colour images, i.e. the affect of image quality and characteristics as a function of human colour perception.

The research will develop a model of human information processing that incorporates the user in a “human in the loop system”. The model will form the basis for predicting and preventing human errors relating to colour in remote imaging of dermatological problems.

The project started in late 2007 and experimental work is currently in preparation.