A practical guide to usability questionnaires that evaluate clinicians' perceptions of health information technology

Numerous usability questionnaires are available to evaluate the usability of health information technology (IT). It can be difficult for practitioners to determine which questionnaire most closely aligns with their health IT evaluation goals. Our objective was to develop a practical guide to enable practitioners to select an appropriate usability questionnaire for their health IT evaluation.

Questionnaires were identified from the literature and input from usability experts. Inclusion criteria included: 1) post-test or post-task usability questionnaire; 2) demonstrated validity, with good internal reliability (Cronbach α ≥ 0.70); 3) freely available for use; 4) applicable across a wide range of health IT products; and 5) demonstrated use with health IT in peer-reviewed literature, even if not originally designed for healthcare.

Criteria were met by seven usability questionnaires. Results include a synopsis of each usability questionnaire along with a matrix to visually compare methodological characteristics across questionnaires. Additionally, results include an analysis of distinguishing methodological strengths and limitations that set each usability questionnaire apart. For each questionnaire, we also outline considerations for use when evaluating health IT.

This novel, practical guide provides an important methodological analysis of currently available usability questionnaires for health IT evaluation. This article can help practitioners make a more efficient, but also well-informed, choice when selecting a usability questionnaire for health IT evaluation. This practical, methodological guide applies to a wide range of health IT products, including electronic health records (EHRs).