Health IT can enhance patient-centered care in ambulatory healthcare settings, according to a report funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
The report, "Findings and Lessons From the Enabling Patient-Centered Care Through Health IT Grant Initiative," describes the results of 16 projects that received funding from AHRQ in 2007 under its Enabling Patient-Centered Care through Health IT initiative. The initiative is part of AHRQ's Ambulatory Safety and Quality program, which aims to improve the safety and quality of ambulatory healthcare in the United States. The report is the first of five that will discuss findings from HIT-focused ASQ grant initiatives.
The 16 projects examined the use of HIT in improving patients' self-management, providing access to medical information, facilitating patient-clinician communication and supporting shared decision-making. The projects took place in community health centers, federally qualified health centers, physician offices and hospital-based outpatient clinics.
Several projects successfully used HIT to affect process outcomes related to preventive and chronic care services, and in many projects HIT positively influenced patient engage¬ment, patient activation and self-management skills; chronic care outcomes; medication management; health status and function; and patient experience with care, according to the report. The grantees also faced some barriers to using HIT to deliver patient-centered care, including "integrating new health IT systems or components into established clinical information systems and workflows," according to the report.
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The report, "Findings and Lessons From the Enabling Patient-Centered Care Through Health IT Grant Initiative," describes the results of 16 projects that received funding from AHRQ in 2007 under its Enabling Patient-Centered Care through Health IT initiative. The initiative is part of AHRQ's Ambulatory Safety and Quality program, which aims to improve the safety and quality of ambulatory healthcare in the United States. The report is the first of five that will discuss findings from HIT-focused ASQ grant initiatives.
The 16 projects examined the use of HIT in improving patients' self-management, providing access to medical information, facilitating patient-clinician communication and supporting shared decision-making. The projects took place in community health centers, federally qualified health centers, physician offices and hospital-based outpatient clinics.
Several projects successfully used HIT to affect process outcomes related to preventive and chronic care services, and in many projects HIT positively influenced patient engage¬ment, patient activation and self-management skills; chronic care outcomes; medication management; health status and function; and patient experience with care, according to the report. The grantees also faced some barriers to using HIT to deliver patient-centered care, including "integrating new health IT systems or components into established clinical information systems and workflows," according to the report.
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