Evaluation of a clinical simulation-based assessment method for EHR-platforms

In a procurement process assessment of issues like human factors and interaction between technology and end-users can be challenging. In a large public procurement of an Electronic health record-platform (EHR-platform) in Denmark a clinical simulation-based method for assessing and comparing human factor issues was developed and evaluated. This paper describes the evaluation of the method, its advantages and disadvantages. Our findings showed that clinical simulation is beneficial for assessing user satisfaction, usefulness and patient safety, all though it is resource demanding. The method made it possible to assess qualitative topics during the procurement and it provides an excellent ground for user involvement.