Healthcare Facility Access Challenges for Conducting User Research

Abstract

Historically it has not been terribly difficult for researchers to gain access to healthcare facilities to conduct user research such as contextual inquiry and workflow analysis. Today, some practitioners are finding it nearly impossible to get into facilities. One reason is that hospitals are getting progressively more risk-averse regarding patient confidentiality and patient safety and are less willing to have outsiders in the hospital, especially in procedure rooms. Another reason is a lack of understanding regarding how to coordinate with offices of compliance and institutional review boards (IRBs), and the fact that IRBs typically are set up to manage clinical trials rather than human factors research. The purpose of this panel was to raise awareness of healthcare access challenges, discuss solutions, and propose some best practices.