Ambulatory Clinic Exam Room Design with respect to Computing Devices: A Laboratory Simulation Study

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction in Healthcare
• Clinical Workflow Optimization
• Medical Exam Room Design

Background:

• Integrating computing into exam rooms while maintaining patient-centered care presents ongoing challenges.
• Traditional exam room layouts can hinder efficient use of technology and impact provider experience.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a novel exam room design featuring a wall-mounted, repositionable monitor.
• Assess the impact of this new design on computing layout and provider workflow.

Main Methods:

• A lab-based experiment compared new and legacy exam room layouts with 28 providers.
• Simulated patient encounters were used to measure efficiency, errors, workload, patient-centeredness, screen sharing, workflow integration, and situation awareness.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in efficiency, errors, or patient focus time were found.
• The new design increased patient screen sharing by 75%, reduced provider workload by 31%, and improved situation awareness and workflow integration.

Conclusions:

• Exam room design significantly impacts provider experience, workload, and workflow efficiency.
• Repositionable computing elements, like wall-mounted monitors, can enhance healthcare settings.
• Thoughtful design can positively influence provider workload, situation awareness, screen sharing, and workflow integration.