How laboratory testing options are presented to physicians within electronic health record systems' user interfaces can affect which tests are ordered, according to a study in Health Psychology.
Using a sample of 72 physicians from one hospital in the Midwest, researchers analyzed disparities in test ordering under three EHR interface designs: no laboratory tests preselected, all laboratory tests preselected and recommended laboratory tests preselected.
Results showed that when presented with an interface with all options preselected, physicians ordered more tests and increased the cost of admission by more than $70 as compared to physicians who saw an interface with no preselected options. Physicians presented with recommended options preselected ordered more of the recommended tests, but the total number of tests ordered did not differ significantly from the number ordered by the group with no preselected options.
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