Prototypical Development of a Web Application to Track and Schedule Device Availability in Therapeutic Apheresis Settings

Aim and Research Question(s)

This thesis aimed to develop and evaluate a prototypical web application for real-time scheduling and coordination of therapeutic apheresis devices in hospitals.

1. What functional and technical requirements are necessary to design 'ApheresisSync' as an intuitive and efficient scheduling tool for technicians and station managers in therapeutic apheresis device management?
2. What are the key development steps involved in creating 'ApheresisSync' to ensure efficient scheduling of therapeutic apheresis devices in hospitals?
3. How do usability measures such as time on task, error rates, completion rates and user satisfaction demonstrate the efficiency, effectiveness and satisfaction of 'ApheresisSync' when evaluated by technicians and station managers?

Background

Manual scheduling of therapeutic apheresis devices via phone or email remains common, often causing inefficiencies, delays and communication breakdowns. As healthcare environments grow in complexity and demand coordination across multiple departments, the limitations of manual processes become more evident.[1] Digital scheduling systems can help reduce device idle times, improve workflow transparency and support more efficient resource allocation in clinical settings[2].

Methods

This thesis followed a user-centered design (UCD) approach combining literature review, prototype development and usability evaluation. The aim was to address scheduling challenges in therapeutic apheresis through a web-based prototype. A literature review identified key issues in healthcare asset management and scheduling, informing system requirements and best practices. The prototype emphasized scalability, usability and real-time coordination. Usability testing with service technicians assessed task completion, error rates and user satisfaction (SUS & SEQ), providing a data-driven basis to evaluate ApheresisSync’s potential to improve scheduling and resource use in therapeutic apheresis.

Results and Discussion

• 100% task completion rate
• Avg. task time: 23.3 ± 18.3 s
• Error rate: 26.7%
• SEQ: 6.56 ± 0.41 (on 7-point scale)
• SUS: 93.5 ± 4.77

While tested with a small sample and mock data, the prototype's strong usability results suggest potential for future integration in hospital ERP systems for a broader clinical use.

Conclusion

This thesis demonstrated that a targeted, user-centered approach can produce an effective digital tool for improving coordination in therapeutic apheresis. ApheresisSync lays the foundation for practical, scalable scheduling solutions in hospitals and highlights how lightweight, specialized systems can enhance daily clinical workflows without major infrastructure changes.

References

[1]Hamdi N, Oweis R, Abu Zraiq H, Abu Sammour D. An Intelligent Healthcare Management System: A New Approach in Work-order Prioritization for Medical Equipment Maintenance Requests. J Med Syst. 2012 Apr 1;36(2):557–67. [2]Albahri OS, Albahri AS, Mohammed KI, Zaidan AA, Zaidan BB, Hashim M, Salman OH. Systematic Review of Real-time Remote Health Monitoring System in Triage and Priority-Based Sensor Technology: Taxonomy, Open Challenges, Motivation and Recommendations. J Med Syst. 2018 Mar 22;42(5):80.