Usability evaluation of a web-based patient information system for individuals with severe mental health problems.
OBJECTIVE
This paper is a report of a study conducted to compare service users', nursing students' and Registered Nurses' evaluations of the usability of a patient education website intended for individuals with severe mental health problems.


BACKGROUND
There is an obvious need for reliable mental health information on the Internet. When evaluating the usability of Internet-based patient education methods, the opinions of all parties need to be ascertained.


METHODS
An explorative descriptive design was used. Twenty-one service users, 20 nursing students and 35 Registered Nurses were recruited for the study in 2003 and 2004. Data were collected using a self-developed questionnaire on the content, structure and visual appearance of the website.


RESULTS
Service users had positive attitudes towards computer and Internet use but they needed support when using the computer and Internet. According to the evaluations, the content, structure and visual appearance of the website were good and it could be adopted for clinical practise after minor revisions. There were some differences in the evaluations between participant groups. Nurses were the most critical group, and the service user group was the most satisfied, although they were less experienced with using both computers and the Internet.


CONCLUSIONS
It is especially important to include service users' evaluations at the early stages of the development process of Web-based patient education systems. It is possible to produce an information technology-based patient education system for individuals with severe mental health problems. Nurses working in psychiatric services need to pay more attention to supporting service users in computer and Internet use.
Kuosmanen
Lauri
L
Department of Nursing Science, University of Turku, Finland, Turku, Finland. laukuo@utu.fi
Jakobsson
Tiina
T
Hyttinen
Jari
J
Koivunen
Marita
M
Välimäki
Maritta
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001292:Attitude to Computers; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D057220:Health Literacy; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D010358:Patient Participation; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013338:Students, Nursing; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D055815:Young Adult