Usability of Graphical User Interfaces With Semiautomatic Delabeling Feature to Improve Drug Allergy Documentation

Katoo M Muylle; Sven Van Laere; Kristof Gentens; Alain G Dupont; Martine Grosber; Pieter Cornu

doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2022.12.008

Usability of Graphical User Interfaces With Semiautomatic Delabeling Feature to Improve Drug Allergy Documentation

J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2023 Feb;11(2):519-526.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2022.12.008. Epub 2022 Dec 26.

Authors

Katoo M Muylle¹, Sven Van Laere², Kristof Gentens³, Alain G Dupont⁴, Martine Grosber⁵, Pieter Cornu⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences (FARM), Research Group Clinical Pharmacology & Clinical Pharmacy (KFAR), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, Brussels, Belgium. Electronic address: katoo.muylle@vub.be.
² Department of Public Health (GEWE), Research Group of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics (BISI), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, Brussels, Belgium.
³ Department of Medical Informatics, Laarbeeklaan 101, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
⁴ Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences (FARM), Research Group Clinical Pharmacology & Clinical Pharmacy (KFAR), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, Brussels, Belgium.
⁵ Department of Gerontology (GERO), Research Group of Skin Immunology and Immune Tolerance (SKIN), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, Brussels, Belgium; Department of Dermatology, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 101, Brussels, Belgium.
⁶ Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences (FARM), Research Group Clinical Pharmacology & Clinical Pharmacy (KFAR), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, Brussels, Belgium; Department of Medical Informatics, Laarbeeklaan 101, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.

PMID: 36581072
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaip.2022.12.008

Abstract

Background: The quality of allergy documentation in electronic health records is frequently poor.

Objective: To compare the usability of 3 graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for drug allergy documentation.

Methods: Physicians tested 3 GUIs by means of 5 fictional drug allergy scenarios: the current GUI (GUI 0), using mainly free-text, and 2 new coded versions (GUI 1 and GUI 2) asking information on allergen category, specific allergen, symptom(s), symptom onset, timing of initial reaction, and diagnosis status with a semiautomatic delabeling feature. Satisfaction was measured by the System Usability Scale questionnaire, efficiency by time to complete the tasks, and effectiveness by a task completion score. Posttest interviews provided more in-depth qualitative feedback.

Results: Thirty physicians from 7 different medical specialties and with varying degrees of experience participated. The mean System Usability Scale scores for GUI 1 (77.25, adjective rating "Good") and GUI 2 (78.42, adjective rating "Good") were significantly higher than for GUI 0 (56.58, adjective rating "OK") (Z, 6.27, P_adj < .001 and Z, 6.62, P_adj < .001, respectively). There was no significant difference in task time between GUIs. Task completion scores of GUI 1 and GUI 2 were higher than for GUI 0 (Z, 9.59, P_adj < .001 and Z, 11.87, P_adj < .001, respectively). Quantitative and qualitative findings were combined to propose a GUI 3 with high usability.

Conclusions: The usability and quality of allergy documentation was higher for the newly developed coded GUIs with a semiautomatic delabeling feature without being more time-consuming.

Keywords: Allergy delabeling; Allergy documentation; Drug allergy; Electronic health records; Usability.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Documentation
Drug Hypersensitivity* / diagnosis
Electronic Health Records
Humans
Hypersensitivity*
User-Computer Interface