title: Usability inspection to improve an electronic provincial medication repository.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Medication errors are a significant source of actual and potential harm for patients. Community medication records have the potential to reduce medication errors, but they can also introduce unintended consequences when there is low fit to task (low cognitive fit). PharmaNet is a provincially managed electronic repository that contains the records for community-based pharmacy-dispensed medications in British Columbia. This research explores the usability of PharmaNet, as a representative community-based medication repository.
  
  
  METHODS
  We completed usability inspections of PharmaNet through vendor applications. Vendor participants were asked to complete activity-driven scenarios, which highlighted aspects of medication management workflow. Screen recording was later reviewed. Heuristics were applied to explore usability issues and improvement opportunities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Usability inspection was conducted with four PharmaNet applications. Ninety-six usability issues were identified; half of these had potential implications for patient safety. These were primarily related to login and logout procedures; display of patient name; display of medications; update and display of alert information; and the changing or discontinuation of medications.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PharmaNet was designed primarily to support medication dispensing and billing activities by community pharmacies, but is also used to support care providers with monitoring and prescribing activities. As such, some of the features do not have a strong fit for other clinical activities. To improve fit, we recommend: having a Current Medications List and Displaying Medication Utilization Charts.
authors: Health Information Science, University of Victoria, Canada. nkitson@uvic.ca
authors: Nicole A
authors: NA
authors: Kitson
authors: Morgan
authors: M
authors: Price
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Bowen
authors: Francis
authors: F
authors: Lau
mesh_terms: D001955:British Columbia; D016303:Clinical Pharmacy Information Systems / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004360:Drug Therapy, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D057286:Electronic Health Records; D055695:Electronic Prescribing; D055991:Health Records, Personal; D012042:Registries; D012984:Software; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D014600:Utilization Review