A framework for reporting on human factor/usability studies of health information technologies

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Growing concerns exist regarding the negative impact of poorly designed Health Information Technology (HIT) in clinical settings, leading to technology-induced errors and adverse events.
• Academic research on HIT design and evaluation offers crucial insights into usability, user-friendliness, and safety-critical aspects, yet reporting inconsistencies hinder evidence synthesis.
• Existing studies often lack comprehensiveness, complicating outcome appraisal, generalizability, meta-analysis, and harmonization of findings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish consensus on essential reporting elements for HIT design and usability evaluation studies.
• To introduce a framework promoting comprehensive and unambiguous reporting of these studies.
• To enhance the quality of publications and improve the indexation of HIT research.

Main Methods:

• Development of a reporting framework based on principles for comprehensive and unambiguous reporting.
• Focus on Human Factors (HF) and usability evaluation studies within HIT.
• Aiming to reduce variation and improve the quality of published research.

Main Results:

• Presents the first approach to a framework for reporting HIT design and usability evaluation studies.
• The proposed framework aims to standardize reporting to improve clarity and consistency.
• Facilitates better identification of use errors and safety issues related to HIT design and implementation.

Conclusions:

• A standardized reporting framework is necessary to address inconsistencies in HIT research.
• Implementing this framework can improve the quality of evidence and facilitate knowledge expansion.
• The framework supports better understanding of Human Factors/Usability in HIT, aiding in the design of effective, efficient, and safe systems.