Comparison of the Usability of Three Versions of a Computerized Medical Diagnostic Assistance Program for Abdominal Pain.

摘要

Three versions of a computerized medical diagnostic assistance program for abdominal pain were tested for ease of use, ease of learning, user satisfaction, and time to complete the Pain Site screen. A higher satisfaction rating was associated with visual grouping of related items, ordering of items to coincide with the usual medical examination, the use of color to highlight information and direct the user, and minimal and consistent steps for data entry. Preference for graphic and list formats for the presentation of the diagnostic summary information was nearly equally divided. Longer learning time was associated with inconsistent rules for the handling of completed screens. Longer time to complete a screen was associated with a lack of grouping of related items, multiple steps for data entry, a lack of instructions identifying required and optional data entry items, and exclusive use of upper case text. Confidence in the program-generated diagnoses was found to increase with user satisfaction.