Human factors and health information technology: current challenges and future directions

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Informatics
• Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE)
• Patient Safety and Quality Improvement

Background:

• Health Information Technology (HIT) adoption is increasing due to federal initiatives.
• Concerns exist regarding HIT's potential to cause medication errors, decreased clinician performance, and reduced efficiency.
• Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE) models offer a framework for evaluating healthcare systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine theoretical HFE models for patient safety and quality in healthcare systems.
• To explore the application of macroergonomic HFE approaches in biomedical informatics research.
• To assess the role of HFE in evaluating health information technology (HIT).

Main Methods:

• A literature review was conducted from 2007-2013.
• Databases searched included PubMed, CINAHL, and Cochrane.
• The review focused on the application of HFE approaches in healthcare settings.

Main Results:

• Systems-oriented HFE models are effective for evaluating HIT, including Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems.
• HFE methods have been used to analyze clinical workflow processes and medication errors.
• Opportunities exist for integrating HFE methods into biomedical informatics research for enhanced HIT evaluation.

Conclusions:

• The application of HFE methods in healthcare is still developing.
• Better integration of HFE into the HIT design lifecycle is needed.
• Informatics researchers can leverage HFE to address clinical complexity and design user-centered HIT solutions.