Human factors in healthcare IT: Management considerations and trends

A range of human factors issues are recognized as critical to the success of projects involving Health Information Technology (HIT). Problems related to the usability of HIT have come to the fore, with continued reports of systems that are non-intuitive and difficult to use and that may even pose safety risks. In this article, we consider a number of approaches from usability engineering and human factors that can be applied to improve the chances of system success and adoption. A range of methods focused around human factors can be employed throughout the system development cycle of HIT. The purpose of this article is to discuss human factors approaches that can be used to improve the likelihood of successful system adoption and also provide input into the selection and procurement process of HIT. The article concludes with recommendations regarding how understanding of human factors can be integrated into healthcare organizational decision making.