Incremental improvements in physician-computer interaction in response to clinical needs and user feedback

Abstract

We trace the transformation in the behavior of our resident physicians from frequent hostility toward the computer (when first introduced to clinical computing by physician order entry) to their current facility and eagerness in using it, which were recently heightened even further by 1) Web page techniques for the easy and quick implementation of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and 2) rapid online access to full-text articles from current key medical journals at the point of patient care. This striking transformation was fostered by our recurrent customization of the computer-human interface in response to clinical needs and to continuous feedback from the physician users.