Marko Nieminen

Comparing Approaches to Measuring the Adoption and Usability of Electronic Health Records: Lessons Learned from Canada, Denmark and Finland

Internationally, the adoption of health information technology is increasing. However, a number of issues have complicated the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs). In addition to adoption issues, it is becoming increasingly recognized that healthcare providers face a variety of usability issues. In this paper, we consider approaches that have been taken to assess both adoption and usability of EHRs in Canada, Denmark and Finland. Although all three countries deploy surveys to assess adoption, the approach and focus of the surveys differs across the countries. In Denmark and Finland, these surveys are dedicated to assessing information technology (IT) usage; while in Canada, questions about IT usage are part of a larger physician survey. Regarding usability, approaches vary considerably. In Finland, the approach includes a national survey about EHR usability. In Canada, ratings of system usability are reported regionally on web sites; while in Denmark, regional study results are reported based on evaluation of commercial products. This paper highlights the need to consider different evaluation approaches internationally.

The role of information support systems in the joint optimization of work systems

Sociotechnical approach preaches the affinity of the social and the technical organization but divides organizations into social and technical subsystems. Thus, it has failed to anticipate the possibilities of new technologies within the social system. The social subsystem of a modern sociotechnical system does not consist of mere human beings but combines people and the technological artifacts they use. In this article, we discuss one such technology, information support, and how it can be used to expand functional redundancy of a sociotechnical system, even the cognitive redundancy of individual people. However, such technologies have often been applied specifically to limit functional redundancy of the sociotechnical system, that is, to reduce communication, learning, and utilization of human talent. The discussion is based on findings from case studies on multimedia-based interactive task support systems used in lightweight assembly industry in Finland and in Denmark. The case studies provide both justification to the information support approach and questions to be addressed in the future. For example, why did the introduction of so many interactive task support systems fail?

Usability and compatibility of e-book readers in an academic environment: A collaborative study

New technologies create great opportunities as well as new challenges when libraries build their virtual collections. As e-book readers and other portable devices grow in popularity, collections can no longer be evaluated purely on the basis of content; their adaptability and ease of use on various platforms has to be taken to account. Collaboration between libraries, users and usability professionals is paramount in building virtual collections of the future. Only users can tell how these platforms are going to be used, as mobile tools for study or as entertainment devices. It is important to learn how usable the e-collections really are and what essential materials are currently incompatible with these devices. Digital rights management and technical compatibility issues should become standard considerations in all acquisition of electronic materials. This paper will present a study conducted in the Helsinki University of Technology Library, currently part of the Aalto University, from autumn of 2009 until summer of 2010. In collaboration with the Strategic Usability Research Group, various e-book readers were tested by both professionals and students. In the study, e-book readers were given to students for one study period with all the course material provided in electronic format. Feedback from the students was collected through discussions, study diaries and questionnaires. In the library, the e-book readers were tested in order to see what demands and restrictions they pose on e-materials and how well the current e-collections of the library are usable on these devices. Results suggest incompatibilities with many licensed e-materials, whereas most open access materials can be easily downloaded and used.

Testing usability with 3D paper prototypes—Case Halton System

In our study, we set out to see how low-fidelity three-dimensional paper prototypes could be used to test the usability of two alternative concepts for a drink can refund machine. The tests were carried out in the real environment with the actual users of the product. The tests took place before any software or hardware had been implemented. Using paper prototypes is a quantitative evaluation method which is easy to apply and suitable for product development processes with a tight schedule. We found the 3DPP modeling and testing method turned out to be useful and the results obtained had an influence on the product.

Psychometric Validation of the Chinese Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS) with Taiwanese High School Adolescents.

The recent development of internet infrastructure has fuelled a popular concern that young Asian internet users are experiencing Internet addiction due to excessive Internet use. In order to understand the phenomenon, psychometric validation of a 14-item Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS), with 417 Chinese adolescents has been performed. Compared to other instruments for use with Chinese populations, e.g. the 20-item Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and the 26-item Chen Internet Addiction Scale, the CIUS is relatively concise, and easy to use for measuring and diagnosing Internet addiction. The present psychometric validation has found good factorial stability with a one-factor solution for the CIUS. The internal consistency and model fit indices were very good, and even better than any previous CIUS validations. The Chinese CIUS is a valid and reliable self-reporting instrument for examining compulsive Internet use among Chinese adolescents. Other findings included: male adolescents tend to experience more compulsive Internet use than their female counterparts, and CIUS scores were positively correlated with the daily Internet use time and negatively correlated with the academic performance of the participants. No significant relationships between the CIUS, ICT accessibility, family economic condition, parental occupation or religion were found.

Finnish physicians' experiences with computer-supported patient information exchange and communication in clinical work.

Several researchers share the concern of healthcare information systems failing to support communication and collaboration in clinical practices. The objective of this paper is to investigate the current state of computer-supported patient information exchange and associated communication between clinicians. We report findings from a national survey on Finnish physicians? experiences with their currently used clinical information systems with regard to patient information documentation, retrieval, management and exchange-related tasks. The questionnaire study with 3929 physicians indicated the main concern being cross-organisational patient information delivery. In addition, physicians argued computer usage increasingly steals time and attention from caring activities and even disturbs physician?nurse collaboration. Problems in information management were particularly emphasised among those physicians working in hospitals and wards. The survey findings indicated that collaborative applications and mobile or wireless solutions have not been widely adapted in Finnish healthcare and suggested an urgent need for adopting appropriate information and communication technology applications to support information exchange and communication between physicians, and physicians and nurses.

A repeat cross-sectional analysis of the psychometric properties of the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS) with adolescents from public and private schools

The development and validation of compulsive Internet use instruments has recently gained the attention of the research community. Recent literature has recommended examining the psychometric properties of different assessment instruments with diverse user groups, cultures and populations. To address this need, the present study examined the psychometric properties of the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS) with adolescent Internet users attending public and private schools, using a repeated cross-sectional study. Three studies were carried out, namely Study A (n?=?2369), Study B (n?=?997) and Study C (n?=?274), the results of which suggest that CIUS possesses excellent factorial and construct validity and reliability across time, and is suitable for both public and private school attending adolescents. Additionally, the study examined the powers of demographics and technology accessibility attributes in predicting CIUS among adolescent Internet users over time. It was found that male adolescents with low life satisfaction and low academic performance tend to experience compulsive Internet use; personal mobile Internet access and daily time spent on Internet use also significantly predicted CIUS scores. The theoretical and practical implications of the study are presented. Repeated cross-sectional studies are currently rare in the field of assessment instruments on compulsive Internet use.Psychometric properties of the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS) was examined with public and private school adolescents.CIUS possess excellent validity and reliability over time.Life satisfaction, academic performance, mobile Internet connectivity and daily Internet use predicted CIUS use.

Impact of privacy, trust and user activity on intentions to share Facebook photos

Purpose The popularity of Facebook photo sharing has not only seen a surge in the number of photos shared but also has raised various issues concerning user privacy and self-disclosure. Recent literature has documented the increasing interest of the research community in understanding various privacy issues concerning self-disclosures on Facebook. However, little is known about how different privacy issues, trust and activity influence users’ intentions to share photos on Facebook. To bridge this gap, a research model was developed and tested to better understand the impact of privacy concerns, privacy awareness and privacy-seeking on trust and actual photo sharing activity and subsequently on photo sharing intentions. This study aims to examine the consequences of various facets of privacy associated with photo sharing activity on Facebook. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional data from 378 respondents were collected and analysed using partial least squares modelling. Findings The results revealed a significant relationship between various aspects of privacy, including awareness and protective behaviour, with trust and activity. Furthermore, trust and users’ photo sharing activity significantly impact photo sharing intentions on Facebook. Originality/value This study contributes new knowledge concerning various privacy issues and their impact on photo sharing activity and trust. The study also proposes implications that are highly relevant for social networking sites, media agencies and organisations involved in safeguarding the privacy of online users.

mLUX: Usability and User Experience Development Framework for M-Learning

In this paper, we propose the mLUX framework, a model based on the user-centered design (UCD) framework, which is specifically for the development of m-learning applications. We present the results of four case studies conducted to develop m-learning applications in which the proposed mLUX framework was applied. The main goal of the proposed mLUX framework is to ensure that the stakeholders, especially students, recognize that m-learning applications are learning media that fulfill their essential educational requirements. We begin by reviewing the literature on the contributions to mobile learning usability made in various conferences and journals from 2002 to 2010. This review helped identify and recognize the methodology used to develop mobile learning applications during this period. Based on the literature review, as the empirical case studies, four m-learning applications are examined to demonstrate the performance of the proposed framework for the development of m-learning applications. We apply three distinct measurement criteria to assess the performances of the mLUX framework. This paper also argues that emotional factors, such as the user’s enjoyment, adjustability, and reliability, are significant design issues in m-learning.

Developing A Usability Capability Assessment Approach through Experiments in Industrial Settings

Usability capability assessments are carried out to analyse the capability of a development organisation in performing user-centred design (UCD). We carried out four experimental usability capability assessments to learn how to perform assessments effectively in industrial settings. Our starting point was traditional software process assessment based on ISO 15504 (’SPICE’). The recent ISO/TR 18529 was used as the process reference model of UCD. Our experiments showed that the focus of ISO 15504 process assessments — management of activities — did not exactly meet the needs of assessments in our context. These experiences led us to a modified assessment approach where the focus is in performance of UCD. Its main characteristics are: 1. a refined UCD process model; 2. a three-dimensional capability scale; and 3. implementation of an assessment as a workshop rather than a series of interviews.