The modular electronic health record dashboard: a novel approach on interoperability and usability

Abstract

Electronic health records have transformed the way care is delivered. Compared to the old paper record, there are many benefits to be gained. These include higher care quality and a reduced amount of medical errors. Also, costs can be saved. The rise of mobile technology can further benefit the health care sector by allowing care delivery from a distance. There are also disadvantages associated with digital health systems, such as its high acquisition and maintenance costs. Other cost increases are associated with staff training. During this training process productivity decreases. Another unintended consequence of these systems is an increase in medical errors. A prototype was designed to tackle these last two drawbacks. A lack of system interoperability and good usability are to blame for these drawbacks. The ability of a system to communicate with others is defined by its interoperability, whereas usability refers to the ease of use and learnability of a system. The design of the prototype describes a modular dashboard wherein the clinician can freely choose its functionality according to his/her workflow. Interoperability was provided by having a loosely coupled back end and a base component to speed up front end development. Several principles defined by literature were kept in mind to provide good usability. The participants of the usability test were spread across several health care units. The results indicated that the dashboard had good usability. However, the interoperability aspect could not be tested.