Understanding dietitians’ technology design needs through user-centered design of a clinical decision support system for patient-centered diabetes education materials

Background Dietitians report insufficient time and low-quality educational materials limit patient-centered care for conditions like diabetes. In other clinical practice areas, technology facilitates patient-centered care, but few practice-based technologies have been developed for dietetics. Thus, little is known about what dietitians need to incorporate technology-based solutions into practice. Objective The objective of this study was to understand dietitians’ design needs for a novel education material clinical decision support system (CDSS) to customize materials for improved patient-centered care. Design Design needs were evaluated with qualitative user interviews during which participants responded to mockups of the proposed technology. Interviewers coded transcripts to identify themes around three key constructs known to drive technology adoption: perceived usefulness, usability, and workflow integration. Participants/setting Dietitians (n = 9) who were licensed in Texas and provided nutrition education to patients as part of their practice participated in the interviews. Results Customization drove perceived usefulness, and efficiency drove perceived usability of the CDSS. Participants indicated that workflow integration would depend on if the CDSS met both customization and efficiency needs. Some participants indicated that efficiency was more important than patient-level customization; these participants suggested the possibility of customizing handouts for their typical patient population instead of individual patients. Conclusions Dietitians are interested in a CDSS that customizes education materials, with efficiency being essential to adoption. Incorporating these insights into future CDSS design could improve the successful adoption of technology for supporting patient-centered dietetic care.