ABSTRACT

Adolescent users of medical devices are currently overlooked in the design process and as a consequence may not be using devices which adequately meet their specific requirements. The omission of adolescent user requirements capture in medical device development may contribute to poor adherence and use of the technology by this user population. This paper describes the findings from an interview study with adolescent patient users of a medical device, exploring their satisfaction with it and examining their requirements and preferences. It discusses the results of this study and presents the principle requirements and findings elicited from the adolescent participants. The information in this paper suggests that the inclusion of adolescent users of medical technologies can be useful informants throughout the design process to improve the quality of patient use devices and any subsequent health outcomes.