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The ideal user interface...

By Dennis Tribble posted 03-04-2012 16:03

  
I just got myself an iPhone. Based on all the hype from my friends and colleagues who have them, I was expecting something approximating magic. I am disappointed. The reasons I got it are really not relevant; let's just say that, compared to my Droid2, I found it to be much less functional in some key areas than my old telephone while adding features that I find to be of little use to me as a business user. Don't get me wrong; the proprietary Apple teleconferencing app is pretty cool; I can use applications I currently own on my iPad without having to purchase them all over again, and the on-screen keyboard IS easier to use. But compared to my Droid, the proprietary voice-recognition program has been a lot more problematic, especially when operated through the bluetooth connection on my car, and I had to go buy a GPS application that still isn't as good, or as easy to use, or as extensive in its coverage as the Maps application that came on my Droid and I used that all the time (I travel a little...).

I will get over my disappointment, but it made me think about what it is that makes a user interface 'intuitive' and useful. As the result of this experience, I was reminded of some thoughts by Bruce Tognazini (Tog On Interface, Apple Computer, 1992 ISBN: 0-201-60842-1) on what makes a user interface intuitive that I think should be required reading for anyone developing software. As reinterpreted by my experience, some of those rules are:

1) The user interface I already know is more intuitive than any I have to learn.
2) The user interface that behaves the way I expect it to is more intuitive than one for which I have to change my behavior and my expectations.
3) The user interface that works consistently is more intuitive (and more useful) that one that doesn't
4) The user interface that solves problems I need to solve is more useful than one that solves problems I don't need to solve.
5) The user interface that simplifies or amplifies my task is more useful (and likely more intuitive) than one that makes my task more complicated. 

As I look at much of the software we use today, their user interfaces don't hold up well to the test these requirements present. Indeed, it would appear that they have taken what used to be a simple sentence construction and turned it into a multiple-page form.

The problem is that, unlike consumer software, software we use can actually hurt somebody; more importantly it can hurt someone who is already in a compromised condition. And user interface (what the FDA calls 'human factors') have a lot to do with how safe a software product is to use.

So if you had to design a user interface all over again, with absolutely no constraints, what would your idea of a CPOE interface look like? If you were a physician and had to design your own user interface based on no previous experience with computer software, what might it look like? Think outside the box. Color outside the lines.

Let me know what you come up with! My observation is that, until we define what a better user interface looks like, we are going to be stuck with interfaces that are generally difficult to use.

#Technology #PharmacyStudents #Informaticists
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03-17-2012 21:59

I think about this all the time when using our EHR at the University of Kansas. This changes on a daily basis--but this is what I have come up with so far.
Pharmacist Home Screen: This is the "pharmacy command center." You would have real-time information on all the patients in your units or on your services. Quick stats would be available on your home screen---% of patients on VTE ppx/documented contraindication (and patients without it listed for easy entry into their EMR), % of patients with an admission med rec, list of patients in order of prospective discharge date/time (updated by the medical team daily). Your patient list would be organized by level of patient complexity (# disease states, # medications, # high risk meds, # pharmacy to dose orders, abnormal lab values, etc.).
When you enter a patient profile, you have sidebars that expand and collapse, but ultimately stay on the screen at all times---diagnoses, medications, age, weight, creatinine clearance, pharmacy to dose orders.
Tabs would exist to rotate between screens.
Tab 1: Problem List. This would be a major component. Here, you would be able to easily promote or demote pharmacy problems, changing the order of importance. Pharmacists would be able to drag and drop current medications under certain problems/disease states to match medications with indication. Vitals and labs would update in real-time much like your twitter feed does. Notes about each problem could be added, much like a medical note. The key component of this screen is that it is dynamic! It is continuously updated with objective information automatically, and modified on a daily basis by the pharmacist who is able to add subjective information and document the assessment/plan. When monitoring is complete and notes are updated for the day, a simple "snapshot" would be taken which would serve as the daily pharmacy progress note. The meds, disease states, labs, etc. would be coded so that data could be easily pulled from patient records for research purposes. Also included would be quick links to disease guidelines.
Tab 2: Medication List. A list of all current medications. Meds could be easily sorted alphabetically, by pharmacological class, historical doses of vancomycin. Everything using RxNorm of course :) A "medication match" screen lines up current therapies with the prior to admission list. This way you can see which medications are currently held or auto-subbed to formulary items. Quick links to drug monographs would also be integrated.
Tabs 3-?: There would be specialized monitoring screens for different problem categories---ABX which would show cultures, temp trends, WBC trends, current ABX. DM---which would show BG trends, last a1c, SS insulin requirements in past 24hrs, current insulin/orals prescribed. Anticoagulation---you get the picture...
We have some of the functionality already built into our EHR, but ultimately they need to be fluid, dynamic, and bring the information to the clinician..minimizing clicks, switching screens, and documentation time. I have no idea if the "snap shot" progress note is even possible, but it seemed like a neat way to make it easier. Just some random thoughts.