Evaluation of Three Feasibility Tools for Identifying Patient Data and Biospecimen Availability: Comparative...

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Health Data Management
• Biobanking

Background:

• Timely access to clinical data and biosamples is crucial for real-world data analysis.
• Feasibility platforms are key for researchers to assess data availability.
• Existing platforms have limitations, necessitating optimized user interfaces.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the most user-friendly feasibility platform for harmonized tool development.
• To conduct a comparative usability evaluation of existing research tools.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative exploratory study with a randomized design over 6 weeks.
• Usability testing of MIRACUM i2b2, OHDSI's ATLAS, and the German Biobank Alliance Sample Locator.
• Web-based usability walkthroughs and questionnaires with medical doctors.

Main Results:

• The Sample Locator achieved the highest System Usability Scale score (77.03), significantly outperforming i2b2 (59.83) and ATLAS (27.81).
• ATLAS presented the most usability problems (n=66), followed by i2b2 (n=48) and Sample Locator (n=22).
• The Sample Locator received the highest satisfaction ratings from participants.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a basis for selecting a harmonized feasibility tool through concrete evaluation.
• User feedback identified specific problems and positive design aspects of each tool.
• Comparative analysis informs the development of optimized graphical feasibility user interfaces.