Usability Assessment of the Electronic Patient Management System for AIDS & TB Services in Zimbabwe

Introduction: Medical care is provided by multidisciplinary teams. There is great need for high levels of coordination among teams. Paper medical records pile up leading to logistical difficulties owing to the passive nature of paper records. Sometimes finding a piece of medical history can be difficult. Information and communication technology solutions can solve such problems. The Zimbabwean AIDS & TB Unit under the Ministry of Health installed an electronic Patient Management System in 83 health facilities to attempt to alleviate some of the disadvantages of the paper system. It is important for the Unit to carry out a usability assessment of the system, to determine if it is appropriate and how usable it is. The more competently the users operate the system, the better the service AIDS & TB patients receive from them. Aim: To perform a usability assessment of the new electronic Patient Management System based on user experiences at the ministry of health’s 83 high volume facilities. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of the 83 facilities was done using a self-administered questionnaire as the data collection tool. Multiple linear regression analysis was done to investigate factors affecting usability of the system. Differences between dgemographic subgroups as well as socio-cultural subgroups were investigated along with differences between work experience backgrounds and how they affected usability. Results: 48 (57%) of the 83 facilities responded. In a multiple linear regression analysis only amount of time a facility had used the system was found to have a linear relationship with the usability of the system (R² = 0.2623; 95% CI). There were no differences between demographic subgroups as well socio-cultural subgroups. Chi² test between gender and usability gave P = 0.3 along with respondent’s post. Discussion: The training that came with the installation of the system could have cancelled out some of demographic and socio-cultural factors that would have influenced the usability of the system since usability only varied with time. Acquiescence response bias and social desirability bias may be contributing factors. Conclusion and Recommendations: The perception of system usability and competency in use will improve with time. An assessment that captures all the facilities may give better insights into the issue of usability.