A Smarter Approach to Healthcare Supply Chains: Bridging Value Analysis with Human Factors Engineering

Healthcare systems face increasing pressure to balance safety, patient outcomes, and financial sustainability while integrating new products and technologies. Even with a robust Value Analysis (VA) process, many organizations overlook critical environmental and process factors that can derail their efforts. The consequences? A product or device that looks promising on paper may disrupt workflows, create unforeseen challenges, and ultimately fail to deliver its anticipated value.

Enter Human Factors Engineering (HFE), the safety science that considers how systems support the people working within them. By focusing on the interactions between people, tools, technologies, tasks, environments, and organizational policies, HFE provides a framework to bridge gaps in traditional VA approaches. When combined with VA, HFE offers healthcare leaders a proactive, holistic way to evaluate the true impact of new products or technologies.

The Challenge: Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice

Purchasing a new device or technology often feels like a win, promising innovation, efficiency, and better outcomes. However, once integrated into the system, healthcare leaders may find themselves dealing with unexpected complications. For instance:

• A new product might require additional steps or alter existing ones, leading to inefficiencies.
• Frontline staff may struggle with poorly designed interfaces or tools, resulting in errors or reduced adoption.
• Maintenance, training, or workflow adjustments can decrease projected savings.

These issues typically arise when critical components of the system—such as the physical environment, organizational programs, or external influences—are not fully considered during the decision-making process. VA, while effective at evaluating the potential for improved patient outcomes, quality of care, cost reduction, and other anticipated benefits during new product or device procurement, often doesn’t account for these complexities. That’s where HFE comes into play.

Understanding Human Factors Engineering

HFE is built on the principle that systems should adapt to the needs and capabilities of the people using them—not the other way around. By analyzing the interactions among key components, HFE delivers actionable insights to enhance integration. This approach entails examining elements such as the users, technologies, workflows, physical environment, organizational policies, and regulatory considerations, among others.

By systematically analyzing these elements, HFE allows healthcare leaders to identify potential pitfalls before they become problems. This approach aligns seamlessly with the goals of VA, enriching the process with insights that go beyond cost-effectiveness.

Applying Human Factors Engineering to the Value Analysis Process

Integrating HFE into VA doesn’t have to be complex or time-consuming. In fact, many HFE methods are straightforward and can be tailored to fit different stages of the decision-making process. The following are methods that could be used:

Contextual Inquiry
Observing and interviewing end users to understand their workflows, needs, and pain points.

Cognitive Task Analysis
Focusing on understanding the mental processes involved in tasks, such as decision-making, problem-solving, and attention management.

Workflow Mapping
Visually mapping the steps involved in a task or workflow to identify inefficiencies, redundancies, or points of failure.

Usability Testing
Evaluating how well end users can interact with the product under realistic conditions.

Prototyping and Simulation
Testing the product in a controlled environment to predict real-world performance and challenges.

Error Analysis
Reviewing past incidents or near misses to identify root causes of failures within systems or processes.

A real-life example would be a hospital looking to purchase a new automated medication dispensing system to improve medication safety and streamline efficiency. While the VA team identified the system’s financial benefits, they also noted potential integration challenges. The HFE team stepped in to ensure the system would work seamlessly with nurses' daily workflows. They began by observing and interviewing nurses during their shifts to understand how they interacted with the existing system and identify pain points (contextual inquiry). Next, they broke down each step in the medication administration process to uncover inefficiencies and cognitive overload (task analysis).

To further refine the system, the HFE team had nurses test and evaluate how easily they could use the system under real-world conditions (usability testing). They also tested the system in a controlled environment to predict potential challenges (prototyping and simulation). Finally, they reviewed common mistakes and ensured the system was designed to reduce these risks (error analysis). Based on these insights, the system's interface was simplified, and audible alerts and visual cues were added to support nurses in their tasks.

These improvements streamlined workflows, reduced medication errors, and boosted nurse satisfaction. The final solution not only enhanced patient safety but also aligned with the hospital’s clinical and financial goals.

It should be noted that not every procurement process requires the same approach—investment levels and potential risks should guide resource allocations to HFE efforts. An alternative option is to opt for HFE consulting, during which a third party conducts a comprehensive assessment without straining staff resources. Organizations should assess their resources and needs to determine the best approach.

The Benefits of a Holistic Approach

By integrating VA with HFE, systems become more flexible and responsive to growth or shifting needs, adapting to changes in patient volume and new care models. This approach also fosters a culture of safety, improves patient outcomes, enhances financial performance, and encourages stronger collaboration.

Conclusion

In today’s quickly evolving healthcare landscape, making informed, strategic decisions is more critical than ever. The intersection of VA and HFE provides a powerful framework for evaluating new products and technologies with a holistic lens. By considering not only financial and clinical metrics, but also the real-world dynamics of workflows, environments, and user needs, healthcare leaders can drive meaningful, sustainable improvements.

If you’d like to learn more about how HFE and VA can work together to enhance your procurement process, register for ECRI’s upcoming training session, Human Factors Engineering for Medical Procurement Safety, taking place in Washington DC on May 15, 2025.