EMR and Usability

Electronic Medical Record (EMR) companies must pay close attention to the usability of their product. Usability is the idea of making software, in this case, easy for users to learn and operate. Patients and providers alike will get the most out of an EMR if the usability is at a high level. Understanding human behavior and designing software around the user are both key to creating an EMR with optimal usability.

The EMR Usability Group is a great resource that discusses and outlines key criteria of usability for an EMR program. Key components of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) usability is interface design, interface layout, and matching the office workflow.

EMR Usability:

- Simplicity

- Naturalness

- Consistency

- Minimizing Cognitive Load

- Efficient Interactions

- Forgiveness

- Feedback

- Effective Use of Language

- Effective Information Presentation

- Preservation of Context