JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Electronic health records (EHRs) have been associated with information overload, causing providers to miss critical information, make errors, and delay care. Information overload can be especially prevalent in medical intensive care units (ICUs) where patients are often critically ill and their charts contain large amounts of data points such as vitals, test and lab results, medications, and notes.

Objective:

We propose to study the relationship between information overload and EHR use among medical ICU providers in four major US medical centers. In this study, we will examine two prominent EHR systems in the US to generate reproducible and generalizable findings.

Methods:

Our study will collect physiologic and objective data through the use of eye-tracking technology. We aim to characterize information overload in the EHR by examining ICU providers’ decision-making and EHR usability. We will also survey providers on their institution’s EHR to better understand how they rate the system’s task load and usability.

Results:

This EHR usability study was funded in 2021. The study was initiated in 2022 with a completion date of 2025. Data collection of this study was completed in December 2023 and data analysis is ongoing with a total of 81 provider sessions recorded.

Conclusions:

Our study aims to characterize information overload in the EHR among medical ICU providers. By conducting a multi-site, cross-sectional usability assessment of information overload in two leading EHRs, we hope to reveal mechanisms that explain information overload. The insights gained from this study may lead to potential improvements in EHR usability and interface design which could improve healthcare delivery and patient safety.