Yet another crazy system.
Posted: March 2nd, 2021, 3:12 pm
Hello folks,
Some of you may remember that towards the backend of last year, I passed negative comments about the Doctors Patient Access system for ordering repeat prescriptions. Well, yesterday, I came across another system which again fails to pass my userbility test, ie, it does not appear to have been tested on genuine users. Here goes then -
This time it's the dentist. Now I know they, along with everyone else is going through a difficult time, and really, I don't mind what they are trying to do, but as was always being written on my school reports "could do better". So, what are they doing? Well it's an online patient health questionaire...
First problem area concerns entering your birhdate. So I enter 31 July 1950. (No, that's not my real birthday!) Redlined! Why? It wants it in Month/Day/Year format. Perhaps that should have told me something. Then it asks for a signature. Eh? On a computer? Come on, I know it can be done, but not easily. In fact, entering a space is adequate. Then it asks "Do you need Antibiotic Cover?" What on earth is that? And so we go on with lots of, to my mind, dubious questions, dubious in that some of the categories don't seem right. For example, I have had a heart attack & two Stents fitted. Is that chest surgery or heart surgery bearing in mind that the Stents are fitted in the arteries that feed the heart? And then finally, I came to medication. Now fair enough, I can list all that lot, but at 2200 hours, I've had enough, so save it and go to bed.
The following day I decide to continue. Can't continue. There doesn't seem to be anyway of picking up where I left off. Rang the dental surgery and they didn't know either. neither could they amend it. All they could suggest was that they could repeat the request to do the online questionaire, but I would have to re-enter everything. Also when asked about Antibiotic Cover, she didn't know but offered the suggestions that as it's an American thing, perhaps it's a peculiar American idea. Which of course explains the date...
Anyway, she resent the email, I logged on, and deep joy, everything is still there so I was able to amend and correct online easily. It's just a pity that she didn't know that.
I must admit that heart attack & the Stents could very easily go in either heart surgery or chest surgery. Or maybe it's neither since access was obtained via an artery in the wrist, so it's really not that important. But I do think it's a bit too broad brush in places leaving me with a choice of two or more possibilities. But where's the helpfile? I didn't see one. I did see something about a few videos, but frankly I've neither the time nor the interest in wading through videos. And in any case, should they be You Tube, then nowadays YouTube wants me to use an account of some sort - which of course I don't have, and don't want.
At least it did not, as yet, demand a mobile phone number. It did ask for one, but leaving it blank seemed acceptable.
ten0rman
Some of you may remember that towards the backend of last year, I passed negative comments about the Doctors Patient Access system for ordering repeat prescriptions. Well, yesterday, I came across another system which again fails to pass my userbility test, ie, it does not appear to have been tested on genuine users. Here goes then -
This time it's the dentist. Now I know they, along with everyone else is going through a difficult time, and really, I don't mind what they are trying to do, but as was always being written on my school reports "could do better". So, what are they doing? Well it's an online patient health questionaire...
First problem area concerns entering your birhdate. So I enter 31 July 1950. (No, that's not my real birthday!) Redlined! Why? It wants it in Month/Day/Year format. Perhaps that should have told me something. Then it asks for a signature. Eh? On a computer? Come on, I know it can be done, but not easily. In fact, entering a space is adequate. Then it asks "Do you need Antibiotic Cover?" What on earth is that? And so we go on with lots of, to my mind, dubious questions, dubious in that some of the categories don't seem right. For example, I have had a heart attack & two Stents fitted. Is that chest surgery or heart surgery bearing in mind that the Stents are fitted in the arteries that feed the heart? And then finally, I came to medication. Now fair enough, I can list all that lot, but at 2200 hours, I've had enough, so save it and go to bed.
The following day I decide to continue. Can't continue. There doesn't seem to be anyway of picking up where I left off. Rang the dental surgery and they didn't know either. neither could they amend it. All they could suggest was that they could repeat the request to do the online questionaire, but I would have to re-enter everything. Also when asked about Antibiotic Cover, she didn't know but offered the suggestions that as it's an American thing, perhaps it's a peculiar American idea. Which of course explains the date...
Anyway, she resent the email, I logged on, and deep joy, everything is still there so I was able to amend and correct online easily. It's just a pity that she didn't know that.
I must admit that heart attack & the Stents could very easily go in either heart surgery or chest surgery. Or maybe it's neither since access was obtained via an artery in the wrist, so it's really not that important. But I do think it's a bit too broad brush in places leaving me with a choice of two or more possibilities. But where's the helpfile? I didn't see one. I did see something about a few videos, but frankly I've neither the time nor the interest in wading through videos. And in any case, should they be You Tube, then nowadays YouTube wants me to use an account of some sort - which of course I don't have, and don't want.
At least it did not, as yet, demand a mobile phone number. It did ask for one, but leaving it blank seemed acceptable.
ten0rman