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Usability
General
Ensuring CPOE system usability is important for encuring patient safety, promoting physician adoption, and enabling efficient use of CPOE systems. One way to promote usabilty is to employ user-centered design methods during all phases of the CPOE deployment.
[To be added: example tasks and critical success factors]
Relevant Implementation Stages:
Vendor Evaluation/Selection
- Include representatives from key users groups in vendor demonstrations and collect feedback from them on system usability
- Include usability/ease-of-use as an evaluation criteria for selecting a vendor
- Ask the vendor what steps they take to ensure the usability of their product and how they work with customers to address usability issues that affect safety and efficiency
- HIMSS Selecting an EMR for Your Practice: Evaluating Usability
Initial Planning
The Build
- Conduct iterative prototype walkthroughs (including both screen layouts and proposed workflows) with representatives from each user group and use input to improve both system and workflow design
- Conduct usability evaluations as part of the CPOE Testing plan
Go-live
Optimization & Maintenance
- Conduct user satisfaction surveys and use the results of these surveys to inform and priorities system enhancements
Resources:
AHRQ EHR Usability Evaluation and Use Case Framework
AHRQ EHR Usability Interface Design Considerations
HIMSS Defining and Testing EMR Usability: Principles and Proposed Methods of EMR Usability Evaluation and Rating
HIMSS Selecting an EMR for Your Practice: Evaluating Usability
Research-Based Web Design & Usability Guidelines available at http://usability.gov/guidelines/index.html