ISO 9241 is a multi-part standard from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) covering ergonomics of human-computer interaction. It is managed by the ISO Technical Committee 159. It was originally titled Ergonomic requirements for office work with visual display terminals (VDTs)
The increased adoption of electronic health records and other health IT has improved patient safety, according to an issue brief by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, Health IT Analytics reports (Bresnick, Health IT Analytics, 4/28).
Click here for Update: The Final Rule for the 2015 edition certification has been released.
On page 191 of the 431 page document from ONC about the proposed changes to the Meaningful Use program for Stage 3, ONC begins to identify several significant changes to the Safety-enhanced Design (a.k.a.usability) testing requirements.
The usability of the system is the probably most important factor in making an informed choice of which EHR to use for your practice. Most every bit of software says that it is easy to use, but how can you choose an EHR that is actually usable?
UPDATE: The final rule has been released. See http://www.theusabilitypeople.com/service/safety-enhanced-design-testing...
ONC: Staying Focused on EHR Usability
by Helen R. Pfister and Susan R. Ingargiola, Manatt Health Solutions, iHealthBeat, Thursday, February 20, 2014
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has released certification and meaningful use requirements for electronic health records (EHRs). These require that EHR vendors include evidence of user-centered design and user test results in their certification submission. To be able to obtain the ONC certification (and meaningful use funding) EHR vendors must follow a formal User Centered Design (UCD) process and perform summative usability testing on specific areas of the product.
The Obama administration has signed Accenture to replace CGI Federal as the main IT contractor on the HealthCare.gov health insurance exchange, according to a Jan. 10 Washington Post report. See http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-administration-to-end-contr...
The deal would have a 12-month term and is estimated at about $90 million, the Post reported.
Excerpts from HealthIT Buzz Blog post by Jacob Reider, MD / Acting National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
1. EHR Vendors will have more time to focus on their users.
a. To be able to obtain the ONC certification (and meaningful use funding for their customers) EHR vendors must follow a formal User Centered Design (UCD) process.
b. We recommend that EHR vendors follow ISO-9241-11 and show evidence that their design process is focused upon efficiency, effectiveness, and satisfaction.
2. EHR vendors will have time to perform many iterations of user testing.
CMS Changes Name of the EHR Incentive Programs (Meaningful Use) and Advancing Care Information to “Promoting Interoperability”
As providers of usability testing and user experience services we know that one of the major advantages of electronic health records (EHRs) are their potential to increase patient safety by preventing, detecting and aiding in the recovery from human errors. ONC has set certification standards for safety-enhanced design (SED), making patient safety a primary focus in the design of an EHR.
CMS and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) have established standards and certification criteria that EHRs must use in order to successfully capture and calculate objectives for Stage 2 of Meaningful Use. These new standards and certification criteria now in effect.
To be able to obtain an ONC certification (and meaningful use funding for their clients) EHR vendors must follow a formal User Centered Design (UCD) process and perform summative usability testing on specific areas of the product.
The Electronic Health Record Association (EHR Association), a non-profit association of more than 40 EHR companies, created an electronic health record (EHR) Developer Code of Conduct, which aims to encourage transparency and collaboration among EHR developers, as well as developers, providers, and industry stakeholders. The latest version of the code of conduct is available as a pdf here: http://bit.ly/13A1oLc
On the first page, the very first item (after a general statement) is Patient Safety.
The code says:
Here are the Top 10 Healthcare Usability Myths Debunked
Myth # 1 Clinicians are uncomfortable with technology and just need more training.
Fact: Current HIT systems often don’t fit the way end users think and work.
Myth # 2 Put it all on 1 screen to make it easier to use.
Fact: Developers need to understand workflows and tasks to know what information is needed.
Myth # 3 Whoever has the Most features wins.
Fact: Vet your current feature set. Less may be more.
We are pleased to announce that our talk, "Conducting Usability Evaluations for Meaning Use Stage 2 Funding " was presented at the OSEHRA 2nd Annual Summit.
When: Friday, September 6, 2013 10:30am White Oak Rm B
Where:
Bethesda North Marriott Conference Center
For information on conducting and reporting on the §170.314(g)(3) Safety-enhanced Design Criteria for meaningful use stage two certification see:
Usability is "the extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use" [ISO9241]. Usability represents an important yet often overlooked factor impacting the adoption and meaningful use of electronic health record (EHR) systems. Without usable systems, doctors, medical technicians, nurses, administrative staff, consumers, and other users cannot gain the potential benefits of features and functions of EHR systems.
The Usability People work with you on improving the Usability of Healthcare IT.
Together we may save a life! #SafeHealthIT