News and Insights

By Jack Sharples and Tyler Oates In today's media landscape, we're constantly exposed to bite-sized information about complex and unfamiliar topics, especially in the medical industry. Whether in popular medical dramas or pharmaceutical commercials, the oversimplification of medical device use raises critical questions about safety, particularly when it comes to autoinjector demonstrations in television advertisements. Consider the common scenario of a pharmaceutical advertisement showing a quick, simplified demonstration of an autoinjector. The process looks straightforward: choose a site, inject the medication, and you’re done. But is this abbreviated demonstration helping or harming the potential for correct device use? The concern lies in two psychological phenomena that affect how we process and internalize information. The anchoring effect is our tendency to rely heavily on the first piece of information we encounter about a topic. In the above scenario, when viewer...

 By: Rory Klingensmith We all know the movie scene where the main character needs to wire an urgent ransom to the kidnapper, but the banking app is confusing. In these entertaining scenes, we see missed opportunities for human factors research and engineering. Had the software for the wire transfer undergone one or two rounds of formative human factors testing or an expert review, perhaps the high-stakes situation would have been resolved with ease. Although it would take away from the intensity of the movie scene, it would likely save our main character from sending money to the wrong person. Examples of human factors – or the lack thereof – are ever-present in our everyday lives, even in our entertainment. The following are a few more examples of products in movies where integrating human factors principles into the design process and conducting human factors research could have made all the difference: The Incredibles (2004) - In a memorable scene, the family is ch...

Human Biomechanics and Human Factors Research in Healthcare By Katie Collins Having a diversity of perspectives, educational backgrounds, and research experiences enhances creativity, problem-solving, and performance. Experts at Core Human Factors, A Rimkus Company (Core), have a wide variety of experiences within related fields like cognitive neuroscience, experimental psychology, computer science, biomedical engineering, and ergonomics. The collective experience of the consultants at Core provides a unique and robust human factors team that is well-equipped to address a variety of human factors research questions. I joined the Core team as a human factors consultant after more than a decade of human biomechanics research. A large part of my research involved assessing movement quality across a variety of activities and populations. For example, I’ve assessed walking, running, and landing biomechanics, and I’ve worked with collegiate athletes, adults and adolescents with knee p...

Meet Core at the 2025 HFES International Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care We’re looking forward to connecting with so many industry friends and colleagues in Toronto from March 30 to April 2, 2025! Check out the schedule below to learn about the Core team members who will be presenting topics and representing Core at our booth. For more information on the symposium, visit the event website . 

By: Marissa Docimo, Nicole Stephenson, Jack Giacomini Selecting the right partner to support human factors (HF) research for your medical device or combination product is an important decision. The results of HF work can influence design decisions, regulatory approvals, and, ultimately, user safety. Given the complexity and importance of human factors engineering in the medical device industry, it’s essential to know what to look for when evaluating a proposal for an HF study. This post will walk you through the key criteria to consider when reviewing proposals to ensure you select a partner who can meet your project’s needs, work within your logistical constraints, and support your device’s regulatory approval. It will also help you consider how to evaluate proposals from different partners, and what to look for when selecting the option that best meets your needs. Your vendor support needs and priorities will vary from project to project. When reviewing proposals from multiple vendor...

By: Laura Reinert One of the most important aspects of human factors research is making sure you have the right people in the room interacting with your product. How do we find a representative sample?   Participants in your human factors study should represent the intended users of your product so they behave similarly to what you would expect to see in real life. Modern recruitment methods allow for communication with a large variety of people, but how do we know who to include in the study? We use a recruiting screener. What is a recruiting screener?  The recruiting screener is a list of questions to ask potential participants to determine if they are representative users of your product. By asking specific questions, you can decide who accurately represents the intended users of your product and exclude people who do not. The screener also creates a record of how qualified people were found, what worked and what did not, and other important information, all of which ...

By: Allison Kampa and Tyler Oates A couple of our Core IRB reviewers answered common questions about the Institutional Review Board (IRB) process. If you have any questions that are not answered below, or would like more information about Core IRB services, please feel free to reach out to Core IRB through our website ( https://www.corehf.com/services/irb-services ) or via email ( irb@corehf.com ). Q: What are the benefits of having my study reviewed by an IRB? A: An IRB review is useful to ensure that your study is conducted in accordance with Office for Human Research Protections (45 CFR 46) or FDA regulations (21 CFR 50) and that research participants are physically, socially, and psychologically protected from any potential harms they could face while enrolled in the study. Q: What are the types of studies that Core IRB reviews? A: Core IRB specializes in reviewing minimal risk human factors and social/behavioral sciences studies that are conducted in the United States....