title: Design of electronic medical record user interfaces: a matrix-based method for improving usability.
abstract: This study examines a new approach of using the Design Structure Matrix (DSM) modeling technique to improve the design of Electronic Medical Record (EMR) user interfaces. The usability of an EMR medication dosage calculator used for placing orders in an academic hospital setting was investigated. The proposed method captures and analyzes the interactions between user interface elements of the EMR system and groups elements based on information exchange, spatial adjacency, and similarity to improve screen density and time-on-task. Medication dose adjustment task time was recorded for the existing and new designs using a cognitive simulation model that predicts user performance. We estimate that the design improvement could reduce time-on-task by saving an average of 21 hours of hospital physicians' time over the course of a month. The study suggests that the application of DSM can improve the usability of an EMR user interface.
authors: Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington DC, USA. kkuqi@gwmail.gwu.edu
authors: Kushtrim
authors: K
authors: Kuqi
authors: Tim
authors: T
authors: Eveleigh
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Holzer
authors: Shahryar
authors: S
authors: Sarkani
authors: James E
authors: JE
authors: Levin
authors: Rebecca S
authors: RS
authors: Crowley
mesh_terms: D003628:Database Management Systems; D020000:Decision Support Systems, Clinical; D057286:Electronic Health Records; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval / Q000379:methods*; D050316:Medical Order Entry Systems; D008510:Medication Systems, Hospital; D014584:User-Computer Interface