Health Informatics Forum

Discussion Forum for Health Informatics Professionals and Students

Sunil Kumar

Usability in Healthcare IT

Do extreme Usability reseach and practice in Healthcare IT enhances the potential user in using Electronic Media in Healthcare?
In recent study it is been observed that Usability practice in Healthcare IT is penetrate deep in the process of Electronic Media in Healthcare. Most of the Healthcare Service Provider focus on the Healthcare Automation and Enterprise solutions now started giving potential attention to the usability and user experience practice. But then do Healthcare domain is an exception in terms of Usability and User eXperience practice? As many researcher found critical factor like Clinical Safety in Healthcare IT is another focus point in this domain. So Healthcare IT is now becoming potential market in current scenario and US revolutionary healthcare reform policy by President Mr Barak Obama boost up the HIT service provider to make centralized system of Health. In electronic medium where the user most of the time intervene with is USER INTERFACE. So when we talk about User Interface, it should be simple, flexible and easy to use. Less for more....

Tags: experience, interface, usability, user

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Abbas Shojaee Permalink Reply by Abbas Shojaee on November 14, 2009 at 11:25pm
Sure, but I think that current trend of usability research in healthcare data is not a proper one.
It has mainly conducted by medical informatics experts on specific applications. Found evidences are very context and problem dependent and do not provide further generic guidelines than what can be found on GUI design guidelines. I think investment in this field is going to get hot, but it needs more organized approach to enhance our understanding on medical GUI interfaces in a methodological way.

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Sunil Kumar Permalink Reply by Sunil Kumar on November 15, 2009 at 3:52am
Absolutely. In my career I have evaluated so many Healthcare software and pretty surprise no one give attention to interface design and Usability. Every application development company concern about the functionality bits and peices of the software. But at the end of the day it is the real user who is going to interact with the UI. I think people should start thinking about the environment, user and workflow, while developing a good GUI. I completely agree that functionality, features have also significant value addition but then no one realize the importance of a simple, flexible and consistent GUI in the system. Microsoft video "Future vision of Healthcare" add up a WOW factor in dream but when will be reality that's again a question mark. I hope in future, technology enhancement will benefit the healthcare professional in several way rather complicating their practice and approach.

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