Development of an effective user interface for a computerized laboratory alerting system

A computerized medical decision-aid (CMDA) must have a good user interface. The quality of the user interface impacts directly on the effectiveness of the CMDA. At LDS Hospital, the authors have developed a computerized laboratory alerting system (CLAS) to monitor hospital patients for life-threatening conditions indicated by patient laboratory test data. One of the challenges faced in developing CLAS was designing an effective user interface. Though designed in close cooperation with users, evaluation of CLAS' user interface pointed out problem areas.<
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