Methods to evaluate and reduce data overload in electronic medical records

Abstract

Electronic medical records (EMRs) provide physicians with several important functions that help improve hospital operations. However, the introduction of EMRs has also resulted in unforeseen delays in operations and new types of medical errors. These problems have been found to largely stem from the poor design of the EMR interface, and in particular from the issue of data overload. Nevertheless, it is still unclear how best to design and evaluate an EMR in order to minimize data overload and optimize physician performance. To this end, the goal of this research study is to compare the benefits and limitations of a range of interface evaluation methods for their ability to reflect the performance of physicians using an EMR. In addition, these metrics should be able to pinpoint usability issues in EMRs. The application domain for this research will be the AUB Department of Family Medicine. This research will contribute to the literature on interface evaluation and will help usability professionals develop EMRs that maximize safety and efficiency.