User-Centred Design And Evaluation Of Health Information

User-centred Design And Evaluation Of Health Information

Discuss a proposed topic in your discipline focusing on user-centred design and evaluation approaches within health information technology. Include an overview of relevant theoretical frameworks covered in your program that relate to this topic. Explain how this topic connects to your program goals and courses. Describe the target population you aim to address with this focus.

Paper For Above instruction

In the rapidly evolving field of health information technology (HIT), user-centred design (UCD) has emerged as a crucial methodology to develop effective, accessible, and user-friendly health information systems. UCD emphasizes engaging end-users throughout the development process to ensure that the technology meets their needs, preferences, and capabilities. This approach is vital, given that health information systems often face challenges related to usability, patient safety, and adherence, which can hinder their effectiveness and acceptance among diverse user groups.

Theoretical frameworks underpinning UCD in HIT include Norman's principles of design, which advocate for human-centered approaches that prioritize usability and user experience. Additionally, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) provides insights into how perceived usefulness and ease of use influence technology adoption, emphasizing the importance of designing systems that are intuitive and trustworthy. The System Usability Scale (SUS) offers a validated tool for assessing usability during iterative development, ensuring that the final product aligns with user needs. Incorporating cognitive load theory helps developers optimize information presentation, reducing user fatigue and errors, especially in high-stakes healthcare environments.

This topic aligns closely with the program's goals of fostering technological innovation, enhancing user engagement, and improving healthcare outcomes. Courses focused on human-computer interaction, healthcare informatics, and qualitative research methods provide essential knowledge that informs the design and evaluation processes in health IT projects. The integration of these courses supports a comprehensive understanding of how users interact with technology, how to gather and analyze user feedback, and how to implement improvements effectively.

The target population for this focus includes diverse stakeholder groups such as patients, healthcare providers, and administrative staff. For example, designing patient portals requires understanding the needs of individuals with varying levels of health literacy, digital literacy, and physical abilities. Similarly, systems built for clinicians must accommodate their workflow complexities and time constraints. Addressing these populations ensures that health information technology is inclusive, equitable, and capable of supporting better health outcomes across different community segments.

In conclusion, the user-centred design and evaluation of health information technology represent a vital discipline that combines theoretical insights with practical applications to improve healthcare delivery. By engaging users throughout the development process and applying relevant frameworks, developers can create systems that are both effective and user-friendly, ultimately fostering greater adoption and positive health outcomes.

References

  • Norman, D. A. (2013). The design of everyday things: Revised and expanded edition. Basic books.
  • Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS quarterly, 13(3), 319-340.
  • Brooke, J. (1996). SUS: A quick and dirty usability scale. In P. W. Jordan, B. Thomas, B. A. Weerdmeester, & A. J. McClelland (Eds.), Usability evaluation in industry (pp. 189–194). Taylor & Francis.
  • Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning. Cognitive Science, 12(2), 257-285.
  • Holden, R. J. (2010). Clinical decision support systems' human factors: Review and future directions. Yearbook of Medical Informatics, 10(1), 79-85.
  • Guzman, S. J., & Swanson, A. (2020). Human factors in health informatics: Usability and systems design. Springer.
  • Alami, H., & Stahl, C. (2017). Human-centered design in healthcare IT: A review of methods and approaches. Journal of Medical Systems, 41(6), 89.
  • Yardley, L., Morrison, L., Bradbury, K., & Muller, I. (2015). The person-based approach to health interventions: Application to digital health-related behavior change interventions. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 17(1), e30.
  • Nielsen, J. (1994). Usability engineering. Morgan Kaufmann.
  • Kim, H., & Johnson, J. (2019). Designing for diverse users: Inclusive approaches to health IT development. Journal of Biomedical Informatics, 92, 103137.

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