A tool was designed to empower healthcare professionals to design and evolve databases based on their knowledge of data entry forms without needing database expertise. A user study was conducted where healthcare professionals used the tool to replicate existing forms and create new ones. The study found that participants felt accomplished using the tool and performed innovations like format switching. While format semantics were understood, distinguishing between sub-categories and fields was difficult. The tool aims to generate high-quality databases by mapping forms to appropriate database elements based on normalization, minimalism, correctness, completeness, persistence and traceability dimensions.

1. Empowering Healthcare Professionals to Use Databases:
Design and User Study of a Do‐it‐yourself Tool
Ritu Khare, Yuan An, Il‐Yeol S
Rit Kh
Y
A Il Y l Song, Xiaohua T
Xi h Tony Hu
H
Healthcare Industry and Databases
A Do‐it‐yourself Tool for Database Evolution
Databases have received an extra‐ordinary acceptance in the healthcare
industry. Healthcare domain has a dynamic information environment.
Databases in this domain are required to continually evolve based on new
information requirements provided by healthcare professionals.
FORM DESIGN LAYER
I want to collect
tt
ll t
information related
to an allergy
injection such as its
site, reaction, etc..
FORM MAPPING LAYER
Allergy Injection
Allergy
Injection
Time
Healthcare
Industry
1
2
• Dependence on IT
department
Databases
•I
Inaccurate
reflection of user
requirements
3
Data‐entry Forms
Data entry Forms
Reaction
ID Size Reviewer
Time
Reaction
Site
• Functional gap
between users and
between users and
databases
Usability
Issues
www.ischool.drexel.edu
Given
By
Site
Given By
Given By
Reaction
Allergy Injection
gy j
Size
Reviewer
Size
Reviewer
Healthcare
professional
How can we empower
the healthcare
professionals to design
and evolve databases
based on their
knowledge of data‐entry
f
?
forms?
Data‐entry forms are the most popular data gathering tool among healthcare
professionals. Forms provide a natural abstraction for databases to these users
who have no background in databases. Thus, form templates offer the health‐
care professionals a powerful mode to author information requirements.
Results and Contributions
User Study with Healthcare Professionals
Number of times a participant
required assistance
Form Replication
The form design layer offers
functionalities based on the common
design patterns found in the
healthcare forms.
About the Participants
P1, P2, and P3 are very comfortable
,
,
y
working with computers. P4 and P5 are
moderately comfortable. Each has 1‐4
years of work experience.
Form Creation
5
3
Task Completion Time in minutes
2
1
1
0
Form Replication
1
0
P1
1%
Patient Information
P2
P3
P4
18
P5
Text Input
Address
?
Gender
Male
Female
49%
18%
Database
Data‐entry Form
Figure 1. Database Evolution using User‐designed Form Templates
rated the tool very high in terms of ease of
use and system messages.
Checkboxes
Dropdown menu
18%
?
Research Findings: Participants …
Radiobuttons
14%
Name
Multi‐formats,
Table widgets etc.
felt empowered and accomplished as they
completed the tasks.
who were moderately comfortable with
computers drew forms on paper before
using the tool.
performed impromptu innovations, e.g.,
format switching from textbox to
dropdown.
dropdown
easily understood the format semantics but
had difficulty distinguishing between a sub‐
category and a field.
10
9
10
9
7
5
5
5
3
P1
P2
To ensure a high‐quality database, 6
evolution quality dimensions were
conceptualized: Normalization,
Minimalism Correctness Complete
Minimalism, Correctness,
ness, Persistence and Traceability.
The Form Mapping Layer is designed
to ensure that the evolved database
satisfies these dimensions.
Form Creation
0
Field Format Distribution (51 forms)
?
Healthcare
Information System
Figure 2. The Dual Layered Database Evolution Tool: Using this tool, users can design
forms on their own. The tool automatically translates the form components to
y
p
appropriate database elements.
5
Age
Time . Given Reaction
By
ID
P3
P4
What’s Next?
User study Round 2 with
improved training based on the
findings in round 1 and revised
tasks with advanced features
such as units, multi‐formats.
Mathematical
Proof
for
validating the 6‐dimensional
quality of the generated
database.
P5
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