Optimizing User Efficiency in EMR Systems
What would you do if you ask for ease yet further complexity awaits you? The objective of employing an EMR system is to give relief to the healthcare providers. The software should help them focus on providing optimum healthcare alone removing the hassle of shuffling through paper records. Once properly implemented, an EMR system can literally save lives. But are we really helping physicians in their quest to save time?
A main concern by physicians could be whether the products offered by the EMR vendors are easy to use and practical. Many healthcare providers are discouraged to opt for EMR because of the usability issue, though there have been some other hindrances as well that are being put into retrospection by the vendors in order to create greater acceptance of the software.
The government is providing incentives for the growth of EMR market, yet the lead in usability factor is what which will make the vendors stand out owing to the rising competition between them. EMR usability can still not be labeled as a chief feature to attract buyers in the healthcare industry but its importance cannot be ignored. A higher usability presented by someone could become a benchmark in stealing significant market share in the EMR market.
While designing an EMR system, the vendors should try to pay attention to following things:
Excess info on Screen:
If the main screens have too much information then that could make a physician’s job difficult in retrieving a patient’s records. It is better to keep limited data on the main screens for the purpose of simplification.
Options of Rectifying Errors:
The user should be able to easily remove errors made during data-entry. Vendors are making systems more efficient and workable by including buttons that can allow a user to return to the previous screen to make corrections.
Improvising Time Efficiency:
The vendors are studying the difference in doing things by the physicians in EMR vs. paper. For example, if an EMR system is making the job of physicians more time-consuming for a certain task, then they are improvising on it.
Enhancing Screen Layout:
It is needless yet important to point out that the right choice of fonts, font sizes, colors and background in EMR may contribute to work efficiency.
Apart from the above things, there is room for continuous improvement in designing EMR software. Every time you think you have done the best, someone will raise the bar higher!
New Director of ONC Farzad Mostashari to Replace Blumenthal Black Book EHR Rankings 2012, Top Ambulatory EHR Vendors