An undergraduate nursing student uses the eye-tracking technology [Image courtesy of UMass Amherst]
The technology helps understand how nurses interact with intravenous smart pumps. It could provide a new way to identify design flaws in systems associated with more medication errors than any other route of administration.
According to UMass Amherst, the approach marks the first known use of eye-tracking technology to evaluate IV smart pumps. The technology records exactly where users look while programming the infusion devices. This can give researchers a way to analyze moments of confusion, hesitation and error that traditional usability studies fail to capture.
Researchers published their findings in the June 2026 issue of Advancing Medical-Surgical Nursing.
Karen Giuliano, professor of nursing, and Frank Sup, professor of engineering, co-direct the Elaine Marieb Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation (EMCNEI) at UMass Amherst. Giuliano says the technology “shows you exactly where the participants are looking and for how long.” Since Giuliano launched a broader research program in 2012 to examine the safety, usability and clinical performance of IV smart pumps, the team has produced more than 30 peer-reviewed publications covering IV smart pump performance in clinical use.
As part of the study, led by EMCNEI doctoral student Seonhun Lee, undergraduate nursing students wore Tobii Pro Glasses 2 eye trackers while programming four infusion pumps. The researchers synchronized visual gaze patterns with pump user interactions to identify where students focused attention, where they struggled and how errors occurred.
“Findings from the study, which compared the usability of four different IV smart pumps, revealed significant differences among the different pumps in both programming times for the same IV medication administration tasks and overall ease of use,” said Lee.
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The researchers say that a newer touchscreen-based system generally performed better than older models that are currently in widespread use. According to the UMass team, this suggests that interface design plays a significant role in user performance.
Shannon Roberts, an associate professor of mechanical and industrial engineering at UMass Amherst, previously used the technology to study how drivers interact with vehicle dashboards and safety systems. The work with IV pumps grew out of a collaboration with Roberts.
“This study provides a great example of how eye-tracking technology can jump from the driving domain straight into a healthcare setting,” Roberts said. “It’s a powerful reminder that our best tools, techniques and metrics rarely stay confined to a single discipline.”
The researchers say they already completed a national follow-up study using the technology with experienced critical care nurses from several U.S. hospitals. They hope the program helps manufacturers, healthcare providers and regulators understand how device design shapes clinical performance and patient safety, with the ultimate goal of reducing IV medication administration errors.
