Analyzing the Usability and Acceptability of Wearable Sensors for Health Care Workers

Abstract

Health care organizations should prevent clinician burnout to improve quality of care, but current methods to detect burnout add work and are retrospective. This study is part of a project developing a system to pre- dict burnout leveraging wearable sensors. It is important to evaluate participants’ reactions and perceptions of the wearable device. Our objective in this study is to evaluate the usability of the Empatica E4 wrist- bands utilized in the larger project, making design recommendations for improvement. Three health care workers from a COVID-19 diagnostic laboratory wore the Empatica E4 wristband during 10-20 shifts, after which they completed a survey that included the System Usability Scale and other questions about their experience and perceptions. The Empatica E4 has marginally acceptable usability; participants identified its size as particularly negative. We recommend keeping the band size inclusive while reducing the bulkiness of the wearable sensor and exploring alternative materials to improve comfort.