Assessing the Usability of Six Data Entry Mobile Interfaces for Caregivers: A Randomized Trial

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Health Informatics
• Clinical Data Management

Background:

• Growing demand for mobile device applications in hospitals for bedside clinical data recording.
• Human-machine interface design critically influences data recording accuracy and effectiveness.
• Lack of evidence on optimal interface design for usability and data quality in clinical settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To formally compare 6 handheld device interfaces for speed and accuracy in data entry.
• To evaluate interfaces using 3 common types of numerical data recorded at the patient's bedside.

Main Methods:

• Randomized crossover trial involving 150 healthcare professionals at University Hospitals of Geneva.
• Participants recorded randomly generated data on 6 smartphone interfaces in a randomized order.
• Automated software recorded accuracy and effectiveness during the data entry process.

Main Results:

• Error rates varied significantly, from 0.7% to 18.5% across different interfaces.
• Data recording time ranged from 2.81 to 14.68 seconds per interface.
• The numeric keyboard interface demonstrated superior performance for pulse data entry (3.08 sec, 99.3% accuracy).

Conclusions:

• Interface selection profoundly impacts the quality of recorded clinical data.
• Prioritize speed and accuracy over developer convenience or default platform solutions when choosing interfaces.
• The numeric keyboard is the most accurate interface for specific numerical data entry, aiding clinical guideline development.