Two Human-Centered Approaches to Health Informatics: Cognitive Systems Engineering and Usability

Abstract

There is growing recognition among many healthcare researchers that a human-centered approach to the design and evaluation of health information systems is vital for the success of such systems in healthcare. In this paper, we survey the work of two human-centered research communities that have been active in the area of health information systems research but that have not been adequately discussed in past comparative reviews. They are cognitive systems engineering and usability. We briefly consider the origins and contributions of the two research communities and then discuss the similarities and differences between them on several topics relevant to health information systems. Our objective is to clarify the distinction between the two communities and to help future researchers make more informed decisions about the approaches and methods that will meet their needs.