New product concept for nurse call system by Ackermann clino

The background

Under the brand Ackermann clino, Novar GmbH has been developing and distributing nurse call systems to hospitals and senior care facilities for 30 years. Its innovative communication solutions support the nursing staff, relieve the maintenance and administrative staff and, at the same time, increase the well-being of the patients. The clino nurse call system allows different users to be in direct contact. All vital information is quickly and safely directed to the correct address, such as nurse calls, emergency call, alarms or fire calls.

The starting point

The Ackermann clino systems distinguish themselves by intuitive navigation for different requirements, individual adaptability via intelligent interfaces as well as the integration into existing data processing systems. Ackermann clino has high demands on the quality of its products and, thus, on their usability. For product development, it is therefore essential to identify the requirements of the doctors and nursing staff as well as of the administrative and maintenance staff and the patients. Are there furthermore any differences between hospitals and senior care facilities? By choosing User Interface Design GmbH (UID) Medical Solutions, Novar GmbH relies on the combination of medical engineering know-how and professional usability engineering.

The objectives

• Identify different contexts of use
• Describe required functionalities and operating elements based on the requirements analysis
• Consider complex and less complex procedures
• Ensure individual adaptability

The procedure

In close cooperation with the product development of Ackermann clino, the UID team prepared a product concept. The user-centered process included:

• Expert evaluation of the existing nurse call system
• Workshop with the Ackermann clino team to assess the existing functionalities and the intended scope of functions
• Familiarization with the users and their tasks as well as analysis of the use context on site in the hospital and in a senior care facility
• Conduction of focus groups to determine the differences between hospitals and senior care facilities
• Assessment of the customers requests collected by the sales department

The result

Based on the evaluations and analyses, UID finally developed a new, innovative product concept for the nurse call system of Ackermann clino. The concept provides extensive functionalities which meet the quality and use requirements. The system now considers procedures of different complexity and can be individually configured. Furthermore, it can be combined with the old system.

Project from 2009

Links for further information

• Medical Solutions at UID
• Website: Medical Safety Design
• Customer: Ackermann clino by Honeywell