JMIR Human Factors

(Re-)designing health care and making health care interventions and technologies usable, safe, and effective.

Editor-in-Chief:

Andre Kushniruk, BA, MSc, PhD, FACMI, School of Health Information Science, University of Victoria, Canada


Impact Factor 2.6 CiteScore 4.8

JMIR Human Factors (JHF, ISSN 2292-9495, Journal Impact Factor™ 2.6 (Clarivate, 2024)) is a multidisciplinary journal with contributions from design experts, medical researchers, engineers, and social scientists.

JMIR Human Factors focuses on understanding how the behaviour and thinking of humans can influence and shape the design of health care interventions and technologies, and how the design can be evaluated and improved to make health care interventions and technologies usable, safe, and effective. This includes usability studies and heuristic evaluations, studies concerning ergonomics and error prevention, design studies for medical devices and healthcare systems/workflows, enhancing teamwork through Human Factors based teamwork training, measuring non-technical skills in staff like leadership, communication, situational awareness and teamwork, and healthcare policies and procedures to reduce errors and increase safety.

JMIR Human Factors focuses aspires to lead health care towards a culture of "usability by design", as well as to a culture of testing, error-prevention and safety, by promoting and publishing reports rigorously evaluating the usability and human factors aspects in health care, as well as encouraging the development and debate on new methods in this emerging field. Possible contributions include usability studies and heuristic evaluations, studies concerning ergonomics and error prevention, design studies for medical devices and healthcare systems/workflows, enhancing teamwork through human factors-based teamwork training, measuring non-technical skills in staff like leadership, communication, situational awareness and teamwork, and healthcare policies and procedures to reduce errors and increase safety. Reviews, viewpoint papers and tutorials are as welcome as original research.

All articles are professionally copyedited and typeset.

JMIR Human Factors is indexed in National Library of Medicine (NLM)/MEDLINE, PubMed, PubMed Central, DOAJ, Scopus, Sherpa Romeo, PsycINFO, and the Web of Science (WoS)/ESCI.

With a Citescore of 4.8 (2024), JMIR Human Factors is a Q2 journal in the field of Human Factors and Ergonomics, according to Scopus data.


Recent Articles

Article Thumbnail
Design and Usability of Clinical Software and EHRs

The use of individual wearable devices or online applications to collect biometric data from research participants is popular, but several devices may be needed to replace a full set of research measurements.

|
Article Thumbnail
Usability Evaluation Case Studies

As the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) among older adults increases, so does the need to enhance social participation and cognitive functions through innovative interventions. Digital storytelling in group settings holds potential not only to foster social connections but also to integrate with traditional in-person activities, leveraging both for greater impact.

|
Article Thumbnail
Reviews on Human Factors

Nurses face a higher risk of developing Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) given their primary roles in patient care. Participatory ergonomics (PE), an approach which integrates large-scale interventions that are performed at organizational and systems levels with small-scale interventions, is widely considered a promising approach to mitigating health problems at the workplace. However, their effectiveness in addressing WMSD and secondary outcomes such as sick absence and work performance among nurses are not fully understood.

|
Article Thumbnail
Reviews on Human Factors

Chatbots, as interactive platforms, have the potential to transform health education and behavior change interventions. Despite the growing use of chatbots, qualitative insights into user and provider experiences remain underexplored, particularly with respect to experiences and perceptions, adoption factors, and the role of theoretical frameworks in design.

|
Article Thumbnail
Design and Usability of Websites for Special User Groups

Anxiety and depression symptoms have been rising among college students, with many increasingly meeting the criteria for 1 or more mental health problems. Due to a rise in internet access and lockdown restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, online mediums, such as teletherapy, repositories for mental health information, discussion forums, self-help programs, and online screening tools, have become more popular and used by college students to support their mental health. However, there is limited information about individual-level factors that lead college students to use these online tools to support their mental health.

|
Article Thumbnail
Focus Groups and Qualitative Research for Human Factors Research

The perinatal period is one of the most vulnerable times a woman experiences. Multidimensional, interprofessional, and personalized support is needed to improve outcomes in women’s and children’s health while strengthening partner relationships at the same time. Although a vast amount of support services already exists in Germany for psychosocial counseling during the perinatal period, groups who are especially at risk do not take advantage of them.

|
Article Thumbnail
Reviews on Human Factors

Public sector organizations increasingly adopt information systems (IS) to improve economic efficiency, service quality and overall adaptability. These projects represent substantial financial investments, making their success critical for organizational performance and societal impact.

|
Article Thumbnail
Usability Evaluation Case Studies

The use of digital technologies, such as mobile applications, Zoom, virtual reality, and video games, to promote physical activity in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been increasing. However, there are no studies utilizing ChatGPT, a popular tool in recent years, for promoting physical activity in children with ASD.

|
Article Thumbnail
Psychological, -behavioural, -social, and/or -cultural Experiments and Interventions

Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) are effective in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety. Low user engagement and uptake of DMHIs observed in previous research may be addressed by involving the intended target audience in the design of the DMHI from the outset.

|
Article Thumbnail
Reviews on Human Factors

Disparities in health equity between metropolitan and rural areas are a global concern, especially in vast countries such as Australia, Canada, and the United States. Virtual care models in health care settings are promising in reducing inequalities, with virtual hospitals (VHs) potentially bridging the gap for isolated or underserved regions. However, evidence-based strategies and the complexities of VH implementation necessitate further research.

|
Article Thumbnail
Design and Usability of Consumer Health Tech and Home Monitoring Devices

Mindfulness-based interventions have been demonstrated to be effective in improving bodily and emotional well-being. However, only a few studies have explored individual differences in the application and use of digital mindfulness among adults aged ≥65 years. Voice-guided mindfulness technologies can increase the accessibility of mindfulness training, but the expected benefits may not be similar in all user groups.

|

Preprints Open for Peer-Review

We are working in partnership with

  • Crossref Member
  • Open Access
  • Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association
  •  
  •  
  • TrendMD MemberORCID Member
  •  

This journal is indexed in

  • PubMed CentralMEDLINE
  •  
  •  
  • DOAJDOAJ SealPsycInfoSherpa RomeoEBSCO/EBSCO Essentials

  •  
  •  
  • Web of Science - SCIE

  •  

  •  
  •