Exploring the relationship between training and usability: a study of the impact of usability testing on improving training and system deployment.

The relationship between usability and training remains to be explored in health informatics. We examine the training given during the implementation of an institutional electronic medical record system, as well as the usability of the system from the perspective of new users who have been recently trained. We examine in which ways video-based usability testing with new users, who received classroom training one month earlier, can be used to a) indicate needed changes in the training program, and b) provide feedback to improve system customization and deployment. Usability testing methods were found to be an important adjunct to system deployment: they can improve the system implementation as well as suggest strategies for user education.