Research on usability evaluation of self service terminal in Chinese general hospitals using grounded theory and AHP
Description
Objective: To examine the usability of self-service terminals in Chinese hospitals, focusing on user experience issues related to human-machine interaction within the hospital information system (HIS). Method: Utilizing grounded theory, this study generated and encoded qualitative data concerning user interaction needs with hospital self-service terminals. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was employed to determine the importance weights of factors influencing user experience, enhancing the framework’s completeness. Results: This research identified critical usability factors such as Effectiveness, Learnability, Universality, Practicability, and Security. These factors, comprising 2-3 sub-factors each, totaling 12, significantly influence the user experience with hospital self-service terminals. An ELUPS model, a user-centered usability evaluation system, was developed to sustainably enhance HIS integration. Conclusion: This study advances a comprehensive methodological approach for constructing usability evaluation systems through grounded theory. The findings offer theoretical guidance for the development of tangible self-service applications in hospital HIS and provide a theoretical framework for ensuring sustainable user access to self-service terminals. Keywords: hospital information system; Human-computer interaction; usability evaluation; user experience; grounded theory; AHP (The Analytic Hierarchy Process)