<< start of forwarded material >>
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 1996 07:55:21 +0000
To:[log in to unmask]
From:[log in to unmask] (Gerard Freriks)
Subject:Re: The interface is with the doctor's brain
At 02:46 on 4/11/96, [log in to unmask] wrote:
> Much of the attachment of particular GPs to particular GP computer systems
> is because that particular system matches the thought or behaviour patterns
> of the particular doctor.
>
> THis is something which cannot easily be appreciated by other doctors,
> programmers, or especially writers of RFAs, but the user finding the system
> that fits, knows it.
>
> THis must produce problems in practices with several doctors, where the
> chances of all of them wishing to think in similar patterns are only
> moderate.
>
> Taking a trivial example, a doctor who talks to the patient, and then
> prescribes, before settling down to make a clinical note is unlikely to be
> happy with a system which requirs him to enter SOA before getting to the
> Rx, but would be happier than average with the system the
> Pharmacist/Prescribing Adviser would write, where each prescription would be
> followed by the reason for choosing that drug.
> Someone who likes to record item by item through the history before reachng
> and recording a diagnosis will not be happy with a system which requires
> that a coded diagnosis is entered as the first part of the note.
>
> If even a couple of dozen GPs thought patterns are echoed by a particular
> system or interface, then a concentration of systems into the hands of
> three companies, followed by a standardisation on whatever the majority
> want, so far as the Govt allows even that, is not going to serve them well,
> and should not be inflicted on them.
>
> Companies who want to proivde a good service to many users are going to
> have to work on a layered and intermediate design, which allows the
> database to be accessed by a varety of highly configured front ends.
>
> The front ends themselves need to learn the habits of the user, of the
> practice, and of the patient.
You are absolutely right.
And to complicate things even more.
One doctor will need different interfaces under different circumstances,
The needed solution: a very flexible, highly scritable user-interface. And
a general, standard database-system. Or better still a document handling
system.
Therefore much more must be studied on how doctors work, do the
adminstrative work, how they handle medical information.
Therefore Industrial Designers, specialists in the Computer HUman Interface
must be involved into the early stages of the design-process of new
systems.
Allthough I believe it the above for 100%, I fear that things will stay the
same because:
- the industry has a low budget for research and development. (In the
Netherlands they are not realy profitable. One big-one is for sale)
- They are hooked to present day and old fashioned technology
- Users want nothing new to learn
- Money providers are most interested in the profit for them: handling of
forms, financial transactions, selecting wanted sub-sets of patients and
conditions
- academia and industry is most conservative in exploiting the things they
know, but nothing drasticaly new.
- They think that the youngest member/trainnee is able to concoct the
user-interface at the last moment. That's the way it allways was.
- They are hooked on technology: communication, protocols, standards,
databases within their own market-domain.
- They exploit the differences between systems as features,instead of
incompatibilities which are cumbersome to rooving doctors or people who
want to change to an other system.
(In my country it is allmost impossible to transfer information easily from
one system to an other. It is allmost impossible for physicians to exchange
information using the system during out of hours. And that after 12-13
years of successes in Holland (sic))
<< end of forwarded material >>
Gerard Freriks,huisarts, MD
C. Sterrenburgstr 54
3151JG Hoek van Holland
the Netherlands (31) 174-384296/ Fax: -386249
ARS LONGA, VITA BREVIS
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