NIST Releases NISTIR 7804-1, Technical Evaluation, Testing, and Validation of the Usability of Electronic Health Records
Mistakes made when interacting with electronic health records (EHR) systems can have deadly results, which is why designers strive to build systems that reduce the likelihood of use errors. A more “usable” system can reduce medical mishaps and improve patient care.
To help improve the usability and therefore safety of EHRs, NIST has released NISTIR 7804-1, Technical Evaluation, Testing, and Validation of the Usability of Electronic Health Records. The guide promotes standardization of how EHRs are designed and tested for usability.
The research behind NISTIR 7804 demonstrates that patient safety is negatively affected by poorly designed EHRs. This is in part because mistakes and errors frequently occur, and in part because users who become frustrated and unwilling to trust the systems are more likely to rely on potentially unsafe workarounds.
To develop the guide, NIST drew upon five different methods of empirical human performance data collection, using cross-cutting analytic methods and a diverse set of analysts from different disciplines, backgrounds and perspectives. Researchers used this mixed method approach in order to capture user expectations, knowledge and outcomes regarding EHRs. More than 700 end users participated in the study. Its findings led to the development of specific use cases that can be used to test and validate usability as it relates to safety.
The guide can help system developers apply human factors best practices and incorporate user-centered design processes into the development and deployment of EHR systems. Such practices and processes have a proven record in industries such as aviation, military systems, transportation and nuclear power.
To learn more about NIST’s work in health IT, visit our website.
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