Usability evaluation of a commercial inpatient portal

• Published in: International journal of medical informatics (Shannon, Ireland) Vol. 110; pp. 10 - 18
• Main Authors: Yen, Po-Yin, Walker, Daniel M., Smith, Jessica M. Garvey, Zhou, Michelle P., Menser, Terri L., McAlearney, Ann Scheck
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier B.V 01-02-2018
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Consumer Behavior - statistics & numerical data; Feedback; Female; Heuristics; Humans; Inpatient; Inpatients - statistics & numerical data; Male; Middle Aged; Patient portal; Patient Portals - statistics & numerical data; Personal health record; Task Performance and Analysis; Usability; User-Computer Interface; Young Adult; Inpatient; Patient portal; Usability; Personal health record
• ISSN: 1386-5056; 1872-8243
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2017.11.007

•Insufficient knowledge of the system and tablet technology leads to operational errors.•Individuals’ learning habits and needs for the use the portal should be supported.•The role of the inpatient portal for patient-provider communication should be defined.
Patient portals designed for inpatients have potential to increase patient engagement. However, little is known about how patients use inpatient portals. To address this gap, we aimed to understand how users 1) interact with, 2) learn to use, and 3) communicate with their providers through an inpatient portal.
We conducted a usability evaluation using think-aloud protocol to study user interactions with a commercially available inpatient portal – MyChart Bedside (MCB). Study participants (n=19) were given a tablet that had MCB installed. They explored MCB and completed eight assigned tasks. Each session’s recordings were coded and analyzed. We analyzed task completion, errors, and user feedback. We categorized errors into operational errors, system errors, and tablet-related errors, and indicated their violations of Nielsen’s ten heuristic principles.
Participants frequently made operational errors with most in navigation and assuming non-existent functionalities. We also noted that participants’ learning styles varied, with age as a potential factor that influenced how they learned MCB. Also, participants preferred to individually message providers and wanted feedback on status.
The design of inpatient portals can greatly impact how patients navigate and comprehend information in inpatient portals; poor design can result in a frustrating user experience. For inpatient portals to be effective in promoting patient engagement, it remains critical for technology developers and hospital administrators to understand how users interact with this technology and the resources that may be necessary to support its use.