Defining and Testing EMR Usability: Principles and Proposed Methods of EMR Usability Evaluation and Rating

For more information about the Information Experience Laboratory, visit http://ielab.missouri.edu/Electronic medical record (EMR) adoption rates have been slower than expected in the United States, especially in comparison to other industry sectors and other developed countries. A key reason, aside from initial costs and lost productivity during EMR implementation, is lack of efficiency and usability of EMRs currently available. Achieving the healthcare reform goals of broad EMR adoption and “meaningful use” will require that efficiency and usability be effectively addressed at a fundamental level. We conducted a literature review of usability principles, especially those applicable to EMRs. The key principles identified were simplicity, naturalness, consistency, minimizing cognitive load, efficient interactions, forgiveness and feedback, effective use of language, effective information presentation, and preservation of context. Usability is often mistakenly equated with user satisfaction, which is an oversimplification. We describe methods of usability evaluation, offering several alternative methods for measuring efficiency and effectiveness, including patient safety. We provide samples of objective, repeatable and cost‐efficient test scenarios applicable to evaluating EMR usability as an adjunct to certification, and we discuss rating schema for scoring the results. (42 pages

Effects of White Space on Consumer Perceptions of Value in E-Commerce

As e-commerce becomes an increasingly large industry, questions remain about how the isolated effects of design elements on websites influence consumer perceptions and purchasing behavior. This study used a quantitative approach to measuring the effect of a ubiquitous element of design, white space, on the perception of the monetary value of individual items. White space is a key component of design and website usability, yet it has been shown to be related to the perception of luxury. Little is known about the direct relationship between manipulation of white space and the outcomes on consumer perceptions of value in an e-commerce context. This study found no significant difference between two levels of total white space area (large vs. small) measured by participants\u27 perceived cost of items (chairs). In contrast, while holding total white space constant, the effect of white space distance between images was significant for males but not for females. Additionally, no significant relationship between gender and frequency of online shopping behavior was found, χ2(1) = 3.19, p = .07, ϕ = .17. Gender and amount of time spent per month online were significantly related, χ2(1) = 6.21, p = .013, ϕ = .24

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationPreventable adverse events are one of the leading causes of hospitalized patient deaths. Many of these adverse events occur in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) where nurses often work under cognitive, perceptual, and physical overloads. Contributing to these overloads are spatially separated devices which display treatment relevant information such as orders, monitoring information, and equipment status on numerous displays. If essential information of these separate devices was integrated into a single display at the bedside, nurses could potentially reduce their workload and improve their awareness of the patients' treatment plans and physiological status. We conducted a set of three studies for the purpose of designing an efficient and effective ICU display. We observed ICU nurses during their shifts and found that task-relevant information was often presented in the wrong format, unavailable at the point of care or laborious to obtain. Additionally, nurses were sometimes unaware of significant changes in their patient's status and equipment operation. Based on nurses' feedback, we designed an integrated information display that presents all of the information that nurses need at the patient bedside. Nurses selected a display based on the information organization of existing patient monitors, with added medication management and team communication features. The evaluation of paper-based prototypes of both the integrated display and existing ICU displays showed that nurses could answer questions about the patient's status and treatment faster (p<<0.05) and more accurately (p<<0.05) using the integrated display. The number of adverse events in the ICU could potentially be reduced by integrated displays, but to implement them into clinical practice will require significant engineering efforts

Evaluation Of Information Visualization For Decision Making Support In An Emergency Department Information System.

The purpose of this dissertation is to propose an evaluation framework to assess various IV techniques in EDIS and provide recommendations for developers

Study on hospital’s smart lighting system (SLS) evaluation in Qatar

This research examines the relationship between hospital lighting design and staff preferences with focus on visual performance and reduced energy consumption. A novel approach to hospital lighting design introduced by Philips (HealWell) was studied in a health care facility in Qatar. This Smart Lighting System combines both daylight elements and artificial light in order to maximize the benefit of daylight features, provides satisfactory lighting design solution and minimizes energy consumption. A mixed research method was utilized, which combines qualitative and quantitative methodologies, to combine both a detailed view of the meaning of the generalization of the concept under study and to enable a variety of techniques to be used in the research. These techniques including statistical analyses to investigate staff preferences for light through the use of surveys, which was followed by field experiments to test the hypothesis, to link it to reviewed literature, and finally provide a detailed analysis of the findings of this case study with conclusions drawn for hospital energy efficient lighting design in similar climates. The results revealed that when daylight was provided inside the hospital area through this Smart Lighting System, it was possible to improve visual comfort for occupants, and staff performance while increasing energy-efficiency. This solution can thus be considered for health care lighting design, in particular in hospitals that suffer from lack of daylight, i.e. in the countries where daylight is associated with high glare and high heat gain. Five published papers are included within this thesis in addition to the critical reviews for these published papers with particular attention given to lighting problems in hospitals, such as, visual comfort, energy efficient lighting design and the cost impact of lighting design

Linking Research and Policy: Assessing a Framework for Organic Agricultural Support in Ireland

This paper links social science research and agricultural policy through an analysis of support for organic agriculture and food. Globally, sales of organic food have experienced 20% annual increases for the past two decades, and represent the fastest growing segment of the grocery market. Although consumer interest has increased, farmers are not keeping up with demand. This is partly due to a lack of political support provided to farmers in their transition from conventional to organic production. Support policies vary by country and in some nations, such as the US, vary by state/province. There have been few attempts to document the types of support currently in place. This research draws on an existing Framework tool to investigate regionally specific and relevant policy support available to organic farmers in Ireland. This exploratory study develops a case study of Ireland within the framework of ten key categories of organic agricultural support: leadership, policy, research, technical support, financial support, marketing and promotion, education and information, consumer issues, inter-agency activities, and future developments. Data from the Irish Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority (Teagasc), and other governmental and semi-governmental agencies provide the basis for an assessment of support in each category. Assessments are based on the number of activities, availability of information to farmers, and attention from governmental personnel for each of the ten categories. This policy framework is a valuable tool for farmers, researchers, state agencies, and citizen groups seeking to document existing types of organic agricultural support and discover policy areas which deserve more attention

Development and usability testing of a data visualisation platform for an African trauma data registry

Introduction Trauma is a significant contribution to the global burden of mortality and disease, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. The methods for tracking, recording, and analysing the incidence and causes of trauma are underdeveloped. To address this, The African Federation for Emergency Medicine (AFEM) developed a trauma form and Trauma Data Registry to collect trauma data in multiple sites in sub-Saharan Africa. We undertook a study to create, and assess the usability and functionality of, a trauma data visualisation platform for use in conjunction with the Trauma Data Registry. Methods We created a web-based trauma data visualisation platform for use with the AFEM Trauma Data Registry. This study involves a usability assessment of the AFEM Trauma Data Visualisation Platform to determine the specific website features and analytical needs of African trauma research facilities. This was done by surveying individuals from healthcare facilities that are currently using the AFEM Trauma Form. Two types of questionnaires were administered: Questionnaire I gathered information on the study population and their expectations for the platform, and Questionnaire II assessed the usability of the platform after it was introduced. Surveys took place in person and online, with the last group of questionnaires being administered on-site at the healthcare facility. Data were captured via Survey Monkey online and paper survey. The results were entered into Excel and analysed using descriptive statistics using Stata Version 14. Results A total of 45 healthcare practitioners from eight countries participated in the background survey. The greatest proportion were trained in Tanzania (14, 31.1%) and Ethiopia (14, 31.1%). The mean age of participants was 32.6 (SD=6.6). The mean number of years reported for working at their current facility is 3.7 (SD=3.5). The greatest number of participants in the survey were physicians (22, 48.9%) and specialists (11, 24.4%). Over half (53.3%, n=24) selected that they had moderate experience with data analysis, and the majority reported that they had less than three publications. A total of 34 HCPs participated in the usability study. The mean scores for the usability questionnaire portion were high, with all of the scores being above 6. Major positive themes of the participant comments included easy to use and time saving, major negative themes included feasibility concerns, and comments specific variable to add were common. Discussion There is a lot of heterogeneity in the data analysis and technology experience of participants. The participants were overall satisfied with the Trauma Data Platform. Participants’ comments and suggestions on elements to add indicate that there is still work to be done to design a Trauma Data Platform that is suitable for this setting. Conclusions Overall satisfaction with the Trauma Data Platform was high, and the user comments and suggestions will be incorporated into future versions of the platform. This research highlights the importance of considering the feasibility of health technology in its introduction

Program: Graduate Research Achievement Day 2017

Full program for 2017 Graduate Research Achievement Day.https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/graduateschool_achievementday2017-18_programs/1001/thumbnail.jp