Appl Clin Inform 2013; 04(02): 241-250
DOI: 10.4338/ACI-2013-03-IE-0016
Invited Editorial
Schattauer GmbH

Debunking Health IT Usability Myths

N. Staggers
1   School of Nursing, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD.
2   College of Nursing, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
,
Y. Xiao
3   Baylor Health Care System, Patient Safety Research, Dallas, Texas, United States
,
L. Chapman
4   Macadamian, User Experience Research, Ottawa, Canada
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

received: 08 March 2013

accepted: 21 May 2013

Publication Date:
19 December 2017 (online)

Summary

Poor usability is a threat to patient safety and linked to productivity loss, workflow disruption, user frustration, sub-optimal product use and system de-installations. Although usability is receiving more attention nationally and internationally, myths about usability persist. This editorial debunks five common myths about usability (1) usability only concerns the look and feel of a product and is, therefore, only a minor concern, (2) usability is not measurable, (3) usability stifles innovation, (4) vendors are solely responsible for product usability, and (5) usability methods are not practical for use in healthcare.

 
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