Few EHR vendors filing usability reports
Not all EHR vendors are submitting required reports on their products' usability testing, according to research published in JAMA.
Researchers from the National Center for Human Factors in Healthcare at MedStar Health in Washington, D.C., reviewed usability test results from 50 of the most commonly used EHRs and found that vendors of nine of the 50 EHRs in their sample (18 percent) had no public report on usability on file with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT.
Of the 41 vendors whose usability reports were on file, about one-third failed to state the type of user-centered design process as required for certification, according to the findings.
The ONC has endorsed a National Institute of Standards recommendation that at least 15 participants engage in user-centered design testing, but 63 percent of the vendors in MedStar's sample with reports engaged fewer than 15 participants in end-user testing.
Of the vendors with a report on file, 17 percent identified no physicians participating in usability tests of their computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems. Two vendors in the sample used some of their own employees to do the testing. “The lack of adherence to usability testing may be a major factor contributing to the poor usability experienced by clinicians,” the authors concluded.
Researchers from the National Center for Human Factors in Healthcare at MedStar Health in Washington, D.C., reviewed usability test results from 50 of the most commonly used EHRs and found that vendors of nine of the 50 EHRs in their sample (18 percent) had no public report on usability on file with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT.
Of the 41 vendors whose usability reports were on file, about one-third failed to state the type of user-centered design process as required for certification, according to the findings.
The ONC has endorsed a National Institute of Standards recommendation that at least 15 participants engage in user-centered design testing, but 63 percent of the vendors in MedStar's sample with reports engaged fewer than 15 participants in end-user testing.
Of the vendors with a report on file, 17 percent identified no physicians participating in usability tests of their computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems. Two vendors in the sample used some of their own employees to do the testing. “The lack of adherence to usability testing may be a major factor contributing to the poor usability experienced by clinicians,” the authors concluded.
Beth Walsh,
Editor
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.