Only a handful of electronic health record (EHR) vendors have met best practices for user-centered design (UCD) and testing of their products under a framework created by the American Medical Association (AMA) and MedStar Health's National Center for Human Factors in Healthcare. However, the Consumer Reports–like ratings of EHRs just posted by these organizations did not compare the actual usability of those systems as experienced by the end user.
The goal of the ratings, the AMA and MedStar said in a description of the framework on the National Center for Human Factors' website, "is to draw attention to the narrow focus on only eight [usability] capabilities among the dozens required by the [Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC)] for the Meaningful Use program and to the absence of best practices in the certification process."
The partners added that ONC could use their UCD framework to improve its EHR certification program.
AMA outlined its own framework for improving the usability of EHR systems last fall. In September, MedStar researchers published a study in JAMA that found that many EHR vendors had not met ONC usability testing requirements, although their software had received certification from ONC-authorized certification bodies.
In the just-released scorecard, which rated 20 products, two Allscripts EHRs (Enterprise EHR and Sunrise Acute) and one McKesson EHR (Paragon Inpatient) received perfect scores. In the tier just below that were another McKesson EHR, Athena Clinicals, Medical Information Technology, Practice Fusion, Cerner Power Chart, Meditech Magic, and Modernizing Medicine.. Epic received only nine of a possible 15 points, and eClinicalWorks trailed the pack with a rating of five.
AMA and MedStar developed their EHR User-Centered Design Evaluation Framework "by comparing ONC's UCD certification requirements with evidence-based best practices from the human factors and usability literature," according to the website. The scorecard compares each vendor's user-centered design process, testing methodology and testing results with the evidence-based guidelines.
The framework defines user-centered design as a process that "puts the needs of the user at the forefront of the design and development, resulting in a product that is more likely to meet the needs of the user."
Low Bar of Certification
The JAMA study noted that ONC requires EHR vendors to name the UCD process they used; provide the results of usability tests, including the number, clinical background, and demographics of the participants; and make the usability reports public after the product is certified. ONC has endorsed UCD guidelines from the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Of the 50 certified vendor reports the researchers sought, nine were not publicly available. Of the remaining vendors, 14 had not stated their UCD process, 19 used an industry standard for UCD, and six used an internally developed UCD process. There was considerable variability in the number of participants enrolled in the usability tests, and about half the vendors failed to provide the required demographic details. It was not even clear whether some of them had had any physicians test their EHRs.
"Alignment with best practices for user-centered design and testing is a starting point that regulators and industry should meet and exceed," commented Raj Ratwani, scientific director of the Human Factors Center, in a news release. "The framework we developed is the first step in bringing greater transparency to the usability processes of EHR vendors."
In the same release, AMA President Steven J. Stack, MD, said, "Our goal is to shine a light on the low-bar of the certification process and how EHRs are designed and user-tested in order to drive improvements that respond to the urgent physician need for better designed EHR systems."
Source: EHR Vendors Rated on Usability Design and Testing
FlipHTML5 flipbook software can help publishers to customize their e-books. It allows them to design their flipbooks in the way they want. It allows them to change book logo, title and book size, change image and add toolbar button. The difference between FlipHTML5 and other products is that publishers do not need any former knowledge about design and ability to code and still they will be able to customize every aspect and detail of their flipbook.
Image courtesy of Bidsketch 
Image courtesy of Beagle 
Invoicing software can help you get paid on time 
Image courtesy of Creative Market 
Image courtesy of VFS Digital Design, https://www.flickr.com/photos/vfsdigitaldesign/ 
You can buy the Visions Actions and Texture Set at https://creativemarket.com/ForefathersGroup/53996-VISIONS-Actions-and-Te... 
Image courtesy of Exposure Works 
Image courtesy of TextExpander 
Make full use of Dropbox to help organise your files 
Image courtesy of UXPin 
Are you a graphic designer trying to stay well versed in your design software? Want to learn web design? Trying to improve your skills in Microsoft Excel or PowerPoint? Want to learn how to better market your business online? The Staunton Public Library now has a way for cardholders to learn all of the above and hundreds of other things online through free access to Lynda.com.
. Advertise on AFP Get information on AFP readership and advertising online with us.
TEL AVIV, Israel, Oct. 7, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wix.com Ltd. (Nasdaq:WIX), the leading global web development platform, announced today the launch of its new, completely redesigned website editor. With a unique and highly intuitive user interface, industry first features, integrated functionality, designer-made website templates and hundreds of pre-designed components, the Wix Editor sets a new standard in code-free web design providing users with a tailored experience designed to fit their business niche. Offering a highly visual and fun design experience, the new Wix Editor streamlines the learning curve and lets any user successfully create and publish the website they envision. This is the company's first full redesign of its cloud-based web editing software since launching the industry's first do-it-yourself HTML5 Editor in 2012. The new Wix Editor further solidifies Wix's technology leadership by setting a new global standard in code-free and accessible website design and ma nagement. "Recognizing that today's Internet users expect a personalized, intuitive and multi-faceted experience, we've created the industry's most comprehensive code-free editing software for creating a professional online presence," said Avishai Abrahami, Wix Co-Founder and CEO. "Based on the user's business category, the new Editor provides a tailored experience, where the features and capabilities most needed are at their fingertips. This isn't just a product improvement, it's a leap in what the market has come to expect from code-free platforms." Some of the industry-leading code-free features include: 
Jaron Rubenstein 
The Wolf-Gordon swatch book has taken website engagement to new heights 
Illustration by Mike Chipperfield of Magictorch: www.magictorch.com 
Andy Budd explains why lean UX is a worthy, if often abused term in this interview: http://www.creativebloq.com/inspiration/andy-budd-rise-user-experience-7... 
Google's material design is a new visual language for designers