Usability of a barcode scanning system as a means of data entry on a PDA for self-report health outcome questionnaires: a pilot study in individuals over 60 years of age

• HIT Description: PDA-based barcode scanning system More info...
  
• Purpose of Study: Evaluate the usability of a PDA-based barcode scanning system in older adults to facilitate completion of a self-report health questionnaire
  
• Years of study: Not Available
  
• Study Design: RCT
  
• Outcomes: impact on patient satisfaction
  

• Settings: convenience sample of 24 older adults previously enrolled in studies at a Boston rehabilitation research center
• Intervention: After a tutorial and practice session, participants completed two sets of 16 questions from the Late Life Function and Disability Instrument using the bar code wand scanner for one set and a pen for the other. They then chose one of the methods for a third set of questions
• Evaluation Method: video analysis of participants; directed interviews with a usability questionnaire
• Description: Users scan the barcode for a given answer to a question which activates the answer field on the data capture mask on the mobile computer data acquisition platform and the corresponding answer is read out loud on a speaker by the text-to-speech voice synthesizer
• Strategy: research staff provided instructions and demonstrated use of a barcode scanner to participants who then underwent a practice session taking less than 3 minutes
• Quality of Care and Patient Safety Outcome: participants generally found the bar code scanner easy to learn and master and were comfortable using the system
• Changes in efficiency and productivity: Time to complete survey questions was 31 seconds faster with the barcode than the pen. First scan success rates were 68%