Advancing electronic health record vendor usability maturity: Progress and next steps.

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Software Engineering

Background:

• Federal mandates encourage user-centered design (UCD) and usability testing for electronic health records (EHRs).
• Despite these requirements, EHR technology continues to present usability and safety risks.
• Previous studies indicated significant gaps in vendor usability practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate current usability practices among EHR vendors.
• To identify advancements and areas for improvement in EHR development and testing.
• To assess the transparency of vendor usability methodologies.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of written descriptions of usability practices from four EHR vendors.
• Review focused on identifying progress and shortcomings in UCD and usability testing.
• Comparison with previous studies on vendor practices.

Main Results:

• All four vendors described UCD processes and usability testing, indicating progress.
• Vendors are increasingly addressing EHR implementation factors influencing usability.
• Key areas for enhancement include a stronger emphasis on safety, measurement, and benchmarking.
• Increased transparency from vendors regarding their usability practices was observed.

Conclusions:

• EHR vendors have advanced their usability practices, incorporating UCD and testing.
• Further focus on safety, measurement, and benchmarking is crucial for EHR improvement.
• Greater transparency in reporting usability practices is a positive development.