The Patient Factor

Patients are increasingly encouraged to take an active role in managing their health and health care. New technologies, cultural shifts, trends in healthcare delivery, and policies have brought to the forefront the "work" patients, families, and other non-professionals perform in pursuit of health. Volume I provides a theoretical and methodological foundation for the emerging discipline of Patient Ergonomics – the science of patient work.

The Patient Factor: Theories and Methods for Patient Ergonomics, Volume I defines Patient Ergonomics, explains its importance, and situates it in a broader historical and societal context. It reviews applicable theories and methods from human factors/ergonomics and related disciplines, across domains including consumer technology, patient-professional communication, self-care, and patient safety.

The Patient Factor is ideal for academics working in health care and patient-centered research, their students, human factors practitioners working in healthcare organizations or at technology companies, frontline healthcare professionals, and leaders of healthcare delivery organizations.

Rupa S. Valdez: Dr. Valdez is Associate Professor at the University of Virginia jointly appointed in the Schools of Medicine and Engineering and Applied Sciences. She is also affiliated with Global Studies and the Disability Studies Initiative. Dr. Valdez merges human factors engineering, health informatics, and cultural anthropology to understand and support the ways in which people manage health at home and in the community. Her research and teaching focus on underserved populations, including populations that are racial/ethnic minorities, of low socioeconomic status, and/or living with disabilities. Her work draws heavily on community engagement and has been supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and the National Science Foundation (NSF), among others. She serves as Division Chair of Internal Affairs for the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) and as Associate Editor for Journal of American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA) Open. She is the founder and president of Blue Trunk Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to making it easier for people with chronic health conditions, disabilities, and age-related conditions to travel. Dr. Valdez lives with multiple chronic health conditions and disabilities, which have and continue to influence her work and advocacy.

Richard J. Holden: Dr. Holden is Associate Professor of Medicine at the Indiana University (IU) School of Medicine and the Chief Healthcare Engineer at the IU Center for Health Innovation and Implementation Science. He earned a joint PhD in Industrial Engineering and Psychology from the University of Wisconsin. He founded and directs the Health Innovation Lab and co-directs the Brain Safety Lab. Dr. Holden’s research applies human-centered design and evaluation methods to improve health outcomes, especially for older adults. He specializes in research on technology for patients with chronic diseases, such as dementia and heart failure, and their family caregivers. He is a scientist in the Regenstrief Institute and in 2020 received the 2019 Outstanding Investigator Award and the Regenstrief Institute Venture Fellowship. Dr. Holden has led or played key roles in over 20 federally funded research and demonstration projects, totaling over $75 million. He has authored over 150 peer-reviewed works in the fields of human factors engineering, patient safety and quality, health informatics, and research methods. He is most proud of being an innovator, mentor, and connector of dots.