Answer 2 for NURS 8210 Discussion Week 6 HIT Usability and Design Challenges

Usability refers to the ability of individuals to utilize tools and computer applications that are specific to their environment. An example within a healthcare organization would be nurses who utilize an electronic medical record (EMR). It is expected that the EMR is user-friendly and accessible to all. This would include technology availability, capacity, as well as education/training provided (Ball et al., 2011). In the given case study, four usability challenges are present. These challenges include those which were a result of implementation such as the lack of specific training provided to staff and the minimal consideration and testing of workflow. Also present were challenges of design which included preestablished order sets and documents from other sites, and the delayed arrival of technology. As usability allows nurses to give feedback in a structured way, it would have been appropriate to engage bedside staff within the design and implementation of the EMR (Ball et al., 2011). Within previous health information technology implementation, bedside staff have been seconded to be involved firsthand in projects. As noted in Ball et al (2011), physicians, nurses and other professionals are pivotal in all phases of the design and implementation process. Involving staff would have been beneficial to mediate the challenges regarding education and training of staff (Gruber et al., 2009). Nurses who are currently practicing in the environment are the best fit to provide information regarding order sets and documents that are frequented. Furthermore, these nurses can be super-users that staff can access if they are having issues during implementation after formal training is provided (Gruber et al., 2009). The staff should also be involved in placement of technology including bedside and nursing desk computers. By engaging staff early, this ensures that an appropriate amount of technology is ordered and will arrive in a timely manner. Another method is to ensure adequate resources is to perform a needs assessment in the earlier stages of the project (Kaufman et al., 2006). Further challenges can be overcome by conducting usability evaluations (Ball et al., 2011). This allows for systems to be tested and redesigned as necessary to ensure a successful implementation. This would be crucial in ensuring evaluation is not an afterthought and would present as a summative approach in the later design stages of the project (Kaufman et al., 2006) In design, it is beneficial to utilize order sets and documents from other sites as these have been tested and trialed. References Ball, M. J., Douglas, J. V., Hinton Walker, P., DuLong, D., Gugerty, B., Hannah, K. J., . . . Troseth, M. R. (Eds.) (2011). Nursing informatics: Where technology and caring meet (4th ed.). London, England: Springer-Verlag. Gruber, D. , Cummings, G. , Leblanc, L. & Smith, D. (2009). Factors Influencing Outcomes of Clinical Information Systems Implementation. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 27 (3), 151-163. doi: 10.1097/NCN.0b013e31819f7c07.