Integrating users' activity analysis in the design and assessment of medical software applications: the example of...

As the computers become more and more and aid for the management of medical information, some specialists like anesthetists demand specialized applications to support their own activity. Usually, these applications are developed following a Users' Requirements analysis and functional specifications. We demonstrate here that when the management of medical information is closely intertwined with the physician's activity, it is also necessary to perform a precise ergonomics analysis of this activity in order to identify the cognitive and organizational constraints that affect the usability and acceptance of the tool. We report here the results of such an analysis for the pre-operative anesthetic consultation, and illustrate this analysis with the evaluation of a computerized anesthetic record.