Summary
Objective: To review the developments in human factors (HF) research on the challenges of health
information technology (HIT) implementation and impact given the continuing incidence
of usability problems and unintended consequences from HIT development and use.
Methods: A search of PubMed/Medline and Web of Science® identified HF research published in
2015 and 2016. Electronic health records (EHRs) and patient-centred HIT emerged as
significant foci of recent HF research. The authors selected prominent papers highlighting
ongoing HF and usability challenges in these areas. This selective rather than systematic
review of recent HF research highlights these key challenges and reflects on their
implications on the future impact of HF research on HIT.
Results: Research provides evidence of continued poor design, implementation, and usability
of HIT, as well as technology-induced errors and unintended consequences. The paper
highlights support for: (i) strengthening the evidence base on the benefits of HF
approaches; (ii) improving knowledge translation in the implementation of HF approaches
during HIT design, implementation, and evaluation; (iii) increasing transparency,
governance, and enforcement of HF best practices at all stages of the HIT system development
life cycle.
Discussion and Conclusion: HF and usability approaches are yet to become embedded as integral components of
HIT development, implementation, and impact assessment. As HIT becomes ever-more pervasive
including with patients as end-users, there is a need to expand our conceptualisation
of the problems to be addressed and the suite of tactics and strategies to be used
to calibrate our pro-active involvement in its improvement.
Keywords
Human factors engineering - usability - patient safety - health information technology
