Usability testing of bed information management system: A think-aloud method

Abstract

Not considering the usability in designing clinical information systems causes problems in human–computer interaction and patient dissatisfaction. Therefore, in this study, the usability of the bed information management system (BIMS) was examined by think-aloud method. This cross-sectional study was conducted on the BIMS in 50 noneducational hospitals. Participants consisted of three groups including users, facilitators, and technical support. To carry out the study, a scenario consisting of four tasks was designed. Three researchers analyzed the recorded files to identify the usability problems and their severity. The mean time of the evaluation process was 20:33 ± 4:47 s. The total number of the problems identifies by users was 80 cases. Data entry and layout problems with 38 (48%) and 33 (41%) cases were the most frequently found problems, respectively. About 61% and 55% of the data entry and layout problems had a minor severity (Severity 2), respectively. Furthermore, 43 (54%) cases of the problems were resolved by the users and 32 (40%) cases by the facilitator assistance. This study showed that a large number of the problems were due to the system poor design. Furthermore, by increasing the users’ level of knowledge about the system, it is possible to enhance user-system interaction. It is recommended that before designing and implementing a system, the system should be evaluated for usability, and the users should be educated in clinical information systems.

Participatory Design of an Electronic Medical Record for Paediatric Palliative Care: A Think-Aloud Study with Nurses and Physicians

“…Statements and observations were mapped deductively to the four main determinants of UTAUT as the main categories. Subsequently, inductive subcategories were grouped within these categories and assigned to the eight PCM core components [47,48]. As a result, a comprehensive coding framework evolved.…”

An mHealth Application in German Health Care System: Importance of User Participation in the Development Process

“…In the critically important field of health prevention, where engaging the target population poses significant challenges [ 17 , 18 ], testing and refinment of usability is paramount [ 19 ]. The high contextuality of mHealth interventions prevents the exact transferability of results from comparable studies in this topic and must be carried out individually [ 19 , 20 ] Consequently, usability testing, regardless of the results, should be considered valuable [ 21 , 22 ] and involving the potential target group in the development process can increase acceptance of mHealth apps [ 19 , 23 ]. No matter how well informed experts are about a certain topic, the integration of the target group into the development process is inevitable [ 12 ].…”

“…No matter how well informed experts are about a certain topic, the integration of the target group into the development process is inevitable [ 12 ]. Various studies have already shown that usability testing of mHealth apps can contribute not only to an improvement of usability itself, but also in content of the app [ 22 , 24 ]. As in comparable studies, the think-aloud method (TA) was mainly used here to investigate usability [ 12 ].…”