Guest posting by Charles Ho
Educating patients to ensure they understand their treatments is a critical component in delivering effective healthcare. One study has indicated that hospital readmissions are significantly reduced when the clinical staff is actively involved in educating the patient in post-treatment tasks.1 It can also be hypothesized that empowering patients with knowledge about their treatment plan can make them more engaged in managing their health.
Traditional approaches to patient education can include printed handbooks that guide patients through a particular procedure. While this is a familiar medium of information, other types of media may deliver education to patients in a more effective manner. Putting patient education resources in a digital format and made available online is one such strategy. One potential advantage is the ability for clinicians to make more frequent updates to such materials2. Also, similar to digital textbooks used by college students, digital forms of patient education materials allows patients to have a more interactive experience, such as performing an instant search for unfamiliar medical terms their doctor may have mentioned but the patient didn’t have time to ask about.
These benefits are well-known by health policy makers. One of the criteria a physician must satisfy to demonstrate “meaningful use” of information technology, as outlined by the U.S. government, is to engage at least 10% of patients in education resources through the electronic medical record system.3 Interestingly, this seems to be a rather low threshold, which may indicate integrating health information technology with patient education is still in the development phase. Certain obstacles, such as a difficult user interface and patient confidentiality, are just some of the reasons why a seemingly intuitive development can be hindered.
Digital technology has the potential to enhance patient education. To supplement these advancements, we also need to address other areas that can affect the patient education experience. One such example would be to ensure that the culture and attitude of the clinical staff are conducive to allowing patients to understand and question their treatments4. Realizing that the patients’ firm understanding of the treatment process is important, improvements in patient education should be tackled aggressively.
REFERENCES
[1] Jack, B.W.; et.al. “A reengineered hospital discharge program to decrease hospitalization: a randomized trial.” Annals of Internal Medicine (2009). 150 (3): 178-187
[2] Modern Medicine Network. “Using technology to transform patient education” (2004)
<http://www.modernmedicine.com/modern-medicine/content/using-technology-transform-patient-education?page=full>
[3] HealthIT.Gov. “Patient-specific education resources”
<http://www.healthit.gov/providers-professionals/achieve-meaningful-use/menu-measures/patient-education-resources>
[4] Boston University. Reducing hospital readmissions with enhanced patient education.
<https://www.bu.edu/fammed/projectred/publications/news/krames_dec_final.pdf>