Text-Based versus Graphic Displays in Healthcare: Comparing User Performance

Abstract

The intent of this project was to design and evaluate a Graphic User Interface (GUI) that would enhance user performance compared to an existing TEXT-based system used for nursing orders. Ninety-eight nurses (48 females, 50 males) volunteered to participate in the study, which required the completion of four types of nursing orders (Activate, Change, Discontinue, and Create) using each interface. Data collection software was developed to record the time necessary to complete each assigned order and to accumulate the number of keystrokes used to complete each trial. Each participant completed 5 training trials, 4 practice trials, and 40 test trials using each interface. A three-way Interface (2) X Block (4) X Order Type (4) within group design analysis was completed. The GUI interface was significantly easier to learn and faster to use for nursing orders management. Tasks were completed using the GUI display nearly twice as fast as the TEXT-based interface, even after substantial practice on both systems. Most importantly, using the GUI also produced significantly fewer errors than using the TEXT-based interface. It is clear that a GUI interface saves nursing time and reduces errors compared to a TEXT-based interface for nursing orders management. In fact, potentially 1–1.5 hours per day per nurse could be saved using a GUI display.