Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR&D Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

A cognitive systems engineering design approach to improve the usability of electronic order forms for medical consultation.

Savoy A, Militello LG, Patel H, Flanagan ME, Russ AL, Daggy JK, Weiner M, Saleem JJ. A cognitive systems engineering design approach to improve the usability of electronic order forms for medical consultation. Journal of Biomedical Informatics. 2018 Sep 1; 85:138-148.

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.
   Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions



Abstract:

BACKGROUND: During medical referrals, communication barriers between referring and consulting outpatient clinics delay patients' access to health care. One notable opportunity for reducing these barriers is improved usefulness and usability of electronic medical consultation order forms. The cognitive systems engineering (CSE) design approach focuses on supporting humans in managing cognitive complexity in sociotechnical systems. Cognitive complexity includes communication, decision-making, problem solving, and planning. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research was to implement a CSE design approach to develop a template that supports the cognitive needs of referring clinicians and improves referral communication. METHODS: We conducted interviews and observations with primary care providers and specialists at two major tertiary, urban medical facilities. Using qualitative analysis, we identified cognitive requirements and design guidelines. Next, we designed user interface (UI) prototypes and compared their usability with that of a currently implemented UI at a major Midwestern medical facility. RESULTS: Physicians' cognitive challenges were summarized in four cognitive requirements and 13 design guidelines. As a result, two UI prototypes were developed to support order template search and completion. To compare UIs, 30 clinicians (referrers) participated in a consultation ordering simulation complemented with the think-aloud elicitation method. Oral comments about the UIs were coded for both content and valence (i.e., positive, neutral, or negative). Across 619 comments, the odds ratio for the UI prototype to elicit higher-valenced comments than the implemented UI was 13.5 (95% CI? = [9.2, 19.8]), p? < .001. CONCLUSION: This study reinforced the significance of applying a CSE design approach to inform the design of health information technology. In addition, knowledge elicitation methods enabled identification of physicians' cognitive requirements and challenges when completing electronic medical consultation orders. The resultant knowledge was used to derive design guidelines and UI prototypes that were more useful and usable for referring physicians. Our results support the implementation of a CSE design approach for electronic medical consultation orders.





Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.