Key result
An EMR toolkit for atrial fibrillation management was perceived by primary care clinicians to improve accessibility to information, serve as a reminder for guideline-concordant care, and increase the thoroughness of patient assessments.
Why the study?
Does an EMR-based toolkit for atrial fibrillation management improve usability and perceived impact on patient care among primary care clinicians?
Does an EMR-based toolkit for atrial fibrillation management improve usability and perceived impact on patient care among primary care clinicians?
A user-centered EMR toolkit for atrial fibrillation management was highly acceptable to primary care clinicians, improving perceived accessibility to guidelines and thoroughness of care.
BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common and preventable cause of stroke. Barriers to reducing stroke risk through appropriate prescribing have been identified at the system, provider, and patient levels. To ensure a multifaceted initiative to address these barriers is effective, it is essential to incorporate user-centered design to ensure all intervention components are optimized for users. OBJECTIVE: To test the usability of an electronic medical record (EMR) toolkit for AF in primary care with the goal of further refining the intervention to meet the needs of primary care clinicians. METHODS: An EMR-based toolkit for AF was created and optimized through usability testing and iterative redesign incorporating a human factors approach. A mixed-methods pilot study consisting of observations, semi-structured interviews, and surveys was conducted to examine usability and perceived impact on patient care and workflow. RESULTS: A total of 14 clinicians (13 family physicians and 1 nurse practitioner) participated in the study. Nine iterations of the toolkit were created in response to feedback from clinicians and the research team; interface-related changes were made, additional AF-related resources were added, and functionality issues were fixed to make the toolkit more effective. After improvements were made, clinicians expressed that the toolkit improved accessibility to AF-related information and resources, served as a reminder for guideline-concordant AF management, and was easy to use. Most clinicians intended to continue using the toolkit for patient care. With respect to impact on care, clinicians believed the toolkit increased the thoroughness of their assessments for patients with AF and improved the quality of AF-related care received by their patients. CONCLUSIONS: The positive feedback surrounding the EMR toolkit for AF and its perceived impact on patient care can be attributed to the adoption of a user-centered design that merged clinically important information about AF management with user needs. This study demonstrates the utility of a human factors approach to piloting and refining an intervention prior to wide-scale implementation.
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Tran et al. (2016) studied Atrial Fibrillation (n=14). Electronic medical record (EMR) toolkit for atrial fibrillation was evaluated on Usability and perceived impact on patient care and workflow. An EMR toolkit for atrial fibrillation management was perceived by primary care clinicians to improve accessibility to information, serve as a reminder for guideline-concordant care, and increase the thoroughness of patient assessments.
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