A recent article by Michelle McNickle of HealthcareITnews.com highlights 5 important do's and don'ts of building an EHR interface. In the article, clinical informaticist Bob Hunchberger, provides a few tweaks that EHRs could use, from the perspective of a user.
1. Don’t mix metaphors. Hunchberger advises, “Don’t switch metaphors within the application, requiring the user to remember to pick from a drop down list versus using tabs. Also, make sure the tab metaphor looks like a real-world tab; users are easily confused about the use of tabs when they don’t look like real-world tabs.”
2. Do minimize use of different colors. Different colors distract, and too many colors are confusing, said Hunchberger. Instead, it’s best to keep it simple. “Trying to provide smart information through the use of colors can be overwhelming,” he said. “One color for one type of medication, and another for a different type, is poor use.” Consistency is key. McNickle adds "Don’t use 32-bit colors in one part of the application and the limited set of RGB colors in another."
3. Don’t fail to provide short cut keys for experienced users. “Whatever happened to shortcut keys for experienced users?” said Hunchberger. “It seems that more and more EMRs are dropping smart keys or shortcut keys and requiring the user to move off the keyboard to the mouse. This is really annoying if all the entries require keyboard text entry.”
4. Do enable user preferences. Let the user determine how much support they want while they learn the application, said Hunchberger. “Just like the different learning models of visual, audible, and kinesthetic, the EMR should have personas that support the different learning styles that will make adoption much easier and safer,” he said. “Give the user the choice of persona they wish to use within the application.”
5. Don’t mix fonts and font sizes. Use sans-serif typeface styles; they’re easier to read in user interfaces because of the reduced dots per inch on a screen versus paper, said Hunchberger. “When a reader is expected to read text, make sure the text typeface is consistent from page to page and takes advantage of sentence capitalization,” he said. “Incorrect reading and visual interpretation of text is greatly reduced with consistent use of font size and spacing of characters.”
For full text: http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/5-dos-and-donts-ehr-interface-design