Clinician's assessments of outpatient electronic medical record alert and reminder usability and usefulness requirements.
Electronic medical record alerts and reminders are increasingly employed as a means of decreasing medical errors and increasing the quality and cost-effectiveness of care. However, clinicians indicate that alerts and reminders can be either help or hindrance. Discerning the elements that determine which they will be, and the requirements of a helpful alert or reminder, was the focus of this study. We convened three focus groups, comprised of a total of 16 participants. During analysis, five themes emerged: Efficiency, Usefulness, Information Content, User Interface, and Workflow. In addition there were some New Ideas and Surprises. Specific usability and usefulness requirements emerged from within the themes and these are described.
Krall
Michael A
MA
Department of Family Medicine, Kaiser Permanente, Portland, OR, USA.
Sittig
Dean F
DF
D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D000555:Ambulatory Care Information Systems; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001292:Attitude to Computers; D017144:Focus Groups; D006747:Hospital Communication Systems; D006801:Humans; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized; D017010:Reminder Systems