Development of a computerized paediatric intensive care unit septic shock pathway: improving user experience

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to understand the user experience with a computerized septic shock protocol relative to the workflow of Paediatric Intensive Care Unit clinicians. The need for data-driven, condition-specific, computerized protocols in the intensive care unit helps improve decision-making at the bedside. PICU clinicians were interviewed and given pre-and post-implementation surveys asking their opinions on the current PICU septic shock protocol, as well as the current electronic health record being used at [Paediatric Academic Medical Center]. User preferences guided adjustments toward improved usability of the septic shock protocol. Computerized Physician Order Entry, a critical component of the septic shock protocol, allows for more streamlined processes, more complete records, and more time to care for patients. This study revealed that although clinicians had an unfavorable view of the EHR in general, the computerized septic shock protocol was very well-received with an overall usability score of 82.

KEYWORDS:

• quality improvement
• health informatics
• user experience
• clinical protocols
• electronic health records
• order entry systems

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the COA PICU staff for their willingness to participate in this study as well as the COA nurse informatics team for their collaboration on development of the computerized SSP. We wish to acknowledge the UAB School of Health Professions MSHI program for encouraging and supporting this work. Lastly, thank you to the reviewers whose review of this manuscript helped to make it a much better paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.