Using High-Fidelity Simulation and Eye Tracking to Characterize EHR Workflow Patterns among Hospital Physicians

Modern EHR systems are complex, and end-user behavior and training are highly variable. The need for clinicians to access key clinical data is a critical patient safety issue. This study used a mixed methods approach employing a high-fidelity EHR simulation environment, eye and screen tracking, surveys, and semi-structured interviews to characterize typical EHR usage by hospital physicians (hospitalists) as they encounter a new patient. The main findings were: 1) There were strong similarities across the groups in the information types the physicians looked at most frequently, 2) While there was no overall difference in case duration between the groups, we observed two distinct workflow types between the groups with respect to gathering information in the EHR and creating a note, and 3) A majority of the case time was devoted to note composition in both groups. This has implications for EHR interface design and raises further questions about what individual user workflows exist in the EHR.