Development And Evaluation Of A Novel User Interface For Reviewing Clinical Microbiology Results

Background: Microbiology laboratory results are complex and cumbersome to review. We sought to develop a new review tool to improve the ease and accuracy of microbiology results review.Methods: We observed and informally interviewed clinicians to determine areas in which existing microbiology review tools were lacking. We developed a new tool that reorganizes microbiology results by time and organism. We conducted a scenario-based usability evaluation to compare the new tool to existing legacy tools, using a balanced block design.Results: The average time-on-task decreased from 45.3 min for the legacy tools to 27.1 min for the new tool (P<. 0001). Total errors decreased from 41 with the legacy tools to 19 with the new tool (P=.0068). The average Single Ease Question score was 5.65 (out of 7) for the new tool, compared to 3.78 for the legacy tools (P<. 0001). The new tool scored 88 ("Excellent") on the System Usability Scale.Conclusions: The new tool substantially improved efficiency, accuracy, and usability. It was subsequently integrated into the electronic health record and rolled out system-wide. This project provides an example of how clinical and informatics teams can innovative alongside a commercial Electronic Health Record (EHR).