Usability testing of public health web-based information systems

Kholoud Alkayid
Helen M. Hasan, University of Wollongong
Joseph A. Meloche
Sumayya Banna

Article comments

Banna, S., Alkayid, K., Hasan, H. M. & Meloche, J. A. (2009). Usability testing of public health web-based information systems. European and Mediterranean Conference on Information Systems (EMCIS) 2009 (pp. 1-24). Turkey: ISEing.

Abstract

While the Internet provides many opportunities for increased levels of care and access to informationservices in the area of public health, many web designers are not yet taking full advantage of its potential.This study looks at Intensive Care and Palliative Care, as important instances where health informaticscould improve public web-based services, in meeting the particular information needs of family membersof critically and chronically ill patients. This study is significant in adopting an approach to the usabilitytesting of websites based on concepts from Activity Theory. This takes a realistic and practical approach,which identifies the purpose of the web-site from an end-user perspective and then tests it in situationswhich simulate typical real-life activities of the user. The results of this work indicate that, with currentwebsite designs, face-to-face communication is still the preferred means to fulfil the public’s need forhealth information when family members are in care. The websites used in this study, as is the case withmost community health web-sites, did not allow interaction or direct communication between cliniciansand the public. The results indicate the rising need for multifaceted modes of communication withdifferent languages, multimedia, and interactive features.