Back in the 1980s Tipper Gore. Susan Baker, and several others created the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) with the intent of increasing parental control over the access of children to music deemed to have violent, drug-related or sexual themes. They used their influence as “Washington Wifes” to push for regulation of the music industry. By 1985, 19 record companies agreed to put "Parental Guidance: Explicit Lyrics" labels on albums to warn consumers of explicit lyrical content.

There is no shortage of complaints about the usability of Electronic Health Record systems (EHRs). More and more evidence is emerging regarding the lack of EHR usability. Speaking at the 2013 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Conference & Exhibition, Michael S. Barr, MD, MBA, FACP, of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) warned that:

“Satisfaction and usability ratings for certified electronic health records (EHRs) have decreased since 2010 among clinicians across a range of indicators.”

While many older individuals are open to using mobile activity trackers, long-term adoption is hindered by physical discomfort, complicated applications and other issues, according to a study released by AARP, FierceMobileHealthcare reports.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT released a roadmap for creating a national center aimed at improving the safety of health IT, Healthcare Informatics reports (Raths, Healthcare Informatics, 7/17).

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) report titled “Incorporating Health Information Technology into Workflow Redesign”
recommended conducting human-factors workflow analyses in health care settings prior to technology implementation. In addition, the National Institute
of Standards and Technology (NIST) presented targeted recommendations from human-factors workflow methods that could be used in ambulatory

Usability improvements that could enhance patient safety are occurring in electronic health record systems, but not at an acceptable pace and not necessarily for the expected reasons or even the right ones, some industry gurus and researchers report.

The number of electronic health record purchasers who want to replace their existing software increased by more than 59% between the first quarter of 2014 and Q1 2015, according to a new report by Software Advice, Clinical Innovation & Technology reports (Walsh, Clinical Innovation & Technology, 6/1

Achieving the Promise of Health Information Technology: What Can Providers and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Do To Improve the Electronic Health Record User Experience?

Watch the live stream at http://www.help.senate.gov/hearings/achieving-the-promise-of-health-info...

SENATE HEARING LINEUP:

An Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT data brief highlights several disparities in the accessibility and use of health IT in 2013, <

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).

While the recent push to adopt health IT systems has helped to improve care and reduce costs, issues with usability and interoperability require further federal attention, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, FierceHealthIT rep

User Experience, usability, and user-centered design principles were on the forefront of conversations around the topic of clinician/patient satisfaction, safety-enhanced design, and value optimization. Here are a few highlights of the programming and events taking place at HIMSS15 related to the topic of health IT UX.

The Joint Commission issued a sentinel event alert warning that while electronic health records and other health IT have the potential to improve care quality and safety, such technologies can pose inherent risks to patients, Modern Healthcare reports.

In late February, Thomas Mason took over as CMO at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT. In his new role, Mason oversees ONC programs and clinical coordination within the agency.

Research published finds that the laboratory graphs displayed by many commercial EHRs present information in potentially dangerous ways.

The authors urged ONC to stringently oversee testing of the software - although FDA has said it won't regulate it.

The study published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association examined the presentation of clinical lab test results in eight EHRs and found that most failed to graph the data in completely clear ways.

Hospital errors could be better avoided by improving the interoperability of medical devices, according to a survey of 526 registered nurses conducted by Harris Poll, FierceHealthIT reports (Dvorak, FierceHealthIT, 3/12).

Mobile health technologies can improve adherence to chronic disease management, but mixed evidence of the tools' effectiveness necessitates further research, according to a study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research,