Workshop on Interactive Systems in Health Care 2011 - 2012

Principal Investigator
Funding Mechanism
PAR: HS09-231: Small Grant Program for Conference Support (R13)
Grant Number
R13 HS 021058
Project Period
October 2011 - September 2012
AHRQ Funding Amount
$40,500

Summary: A limiting factor to realizing the full potential of health information technology (IT) has been a low level of adoption and use. Research suggests that barriers to health IT adoption and use stem from a disconnect between the features or design of health IT and the needs of health care providers and patients. To better understand and support health care via IT, and to increase adoption and use, research initiatives are focusing on improving alignment of IT with user needs.

The Workshop on Interactive Systems in Healthcare 2011 (WISH 2011) was intended to enable interdisciplinary dialog on health IT and interactive systems in health care, and to provide a forum for sharing research, experiences, and perspectives to progress health IT design and development. WISH 2011 was held on October 22, 2011, in conjunction with the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) Annual Symposium in Washington, D.C.

WISH 2011 was organized and led by co-chairs Drs. Madhu Reddy and Lena Mamykina. A steering committee comprised of biomedical informatics, public health, policy, and human-computer interaction professionals helped the co-chairs plan the workshop. The steering committee identified and recruited potential speakers, helped select topic areas for presentations, and reviewed and selected submissions for presentation at the workshop. The format of the workshop included keynote speakers; panel discussions; technical presentations on topics such as design, methodology, evaluation, and technology; informal breakout sessions; and poster sessions. Additionally, the workshop included a mentorship program to pair promising junior researchers and students with prominent senior researchers in a related field.

Specific Aims:

  • Develop research agendas for interactive systems in health care and identify strategies and mechanisms for studying them. (Achieved)
  • Discuss and develop consensus around research methodological and technical issues in regards to design and evaluation of interactive systems in health care. (Achieved)
  • Establish a new channel for dissemination and implementation of research on interactive systems in health care. (Achieved)
  • Provide a forum for developing new partnerships among researchers and stakeholder organizations, thereby building their capacity to participate in research activities and using the results of research on interactive systems in health care. (Achieved)
  • Establish a mentorship program for junior researchers in the field and provide them with the opportunity to meet with leading researchers in the areas related to interactive systems in health care. (Achieved)

2012 Activities: All activities for this project were completed in 2011. Based on the success of WISH 2011, WISH 2012 was held in conjunction with the 2012 AMIA Annual Symposium November 3-4 in Chicago, IL. WISH 2012 was organized and led by Dr. Wanda Pratt, with funding from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality under grant number R13 HS 021925.

Impact and Findings: Four themes were consistently present during the proceedings of WISH 2011: 1) how to foster innovation in health IT, 2) the benefits and challenges of theory-driven health IT design, 3) the adoption and meaningful use of health IT, and 4) conducting interdisciplinary research in health IT. These themes are described and expanded on in a publication, Designing interactive systems in health care: A report on WISH 2011, authored by the co-chairs and organizer of WISH 2011 and published in Interactions.

Target Population: General

Strategic Goal: Not applicable

Business Goal: Synthesis and Dissemination