Reference no: EM133364461

Case Study: Understanding the concept of usability is important in the field of health information technology. A usable product helps one achieve their specific goals while using a product in a specific context (Hebda et al., 2019). When determining usability, it is important to consider what the program will be required to do and the level of difficulty for staff to learn new system. In addition, the three main goals of usability are effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction (Hebda, 2018). In a study by Staggers, et al. (2018), nurses' problems with usability were studied. Two major themes emerged. First, nurses voiced concern that many EHR designs do not support their workflow. EHR documentation can be excessive with certain programs, especially like the program we utilize at my facility. There is a lot of "checking the boxes" involved and at the end of the day, nurses are just clicking to get it done without checking what they are charting. The workflow is not smooth. Second, health IT systems lack internal and external interoperability (Staggers, et al., 2018). This is also a major problem within our organization. There is a hybrid system in place where nurses are stuck between the EHR, the paper chart, and other health programs, making the nurse go through several different avenues to find relevant patient information.

In another study, researchers developed 10 factors to consider when evaluating usability of health information technology (HIT) (Russ & Saleem, 2018). Some of the factors are objectives to usability testing, role of end-user, clinical focus, and healthcare related outcome measures (Russ & Saleem, 2018). Role of the end-user is important to highlight because not all healthcare professionals will use the HIT in the same manner, and it is important to differentiate. Also, it is important for all end-users to know where to find the notes and documentation from another user. For example, it would helpful if a doctor could easily locate a nursing progress note from previous shift. EHRs should be easily navigable for all people who utilize it. Further, healthcare related outcome is important because we can measure the effective of the HIT on patient outcomes. Anything that improves patient outcomes should be highlighted and studied.

Questions: Two survey questions:

• Is all information a nurse needs to carry out their daily job functions located in one program or is staff forced to go between multiple programs, including paper documentation, to find all pertinent patient information?
• In the EHR, it is easy to find other healthcare professionals notes on patients (i.e nursing progress notes, consult notes, physical therapy evaluations)?