Comparative Usability Evaluation of Two Hospital Information Systems: A Mixed-Methods Study in an Iranian Teaching...

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Software Engineering

Background:

• Usability of hospital information systems (HIS) is crucial for efficient workflows, user satisfaction, and patient safety.
• Comparative studies on the usability of legacy desktop-based HIS versus newer web-based platforms are limited, especially during real-world digital transitions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the usability of the legacy Iranian Hospital Information System (IHIS) and the new web-based Sepid system.
• To evaluate usability in the Inpatient Admission and Radiology modules of a teaching hospital during a digital transition.

Main Methods:

• A convergent parallel mixed-methods study conducted at Qaem Educational and Research Hospital.
• Qualitative phase: Heuristic evaluation by 8 expert evaluators using Nielsen's 10 usability heuristics.
• Quantitative phase: System Usability Scale (SUS) completed by 34 end-users familiar with both systems.

Main Results:

• Heuristic evaluation identified performance, database integration, and error messaging as key issues for Sepid, while IHIS had interface limitations (clutter, inflexibility, lack of undo).
• Sepid achieved a significantly higher mean SUS score (66.25) compared to IHIS (51.99) (p < 0.001).
• Usability ratings: Sepid (38.2% acceptable, 50.0% marginal, 11.8% unacceptable) vs. IHIS (8.8% acceptable, 55.9% marginal, 35.3% unacceptable).

Conclusions:

• While Sepid demonstrated superior usability over IHIS, both systems fell within the marginal usability range.
• Future HIS improvements should prioritize user-centered design, error prevention, interoperability, and ongoing user training.
• Findings offer guidance for developers, hospital managers, and policymakers in optimizing HIS design and implementation during digital transformation.