How EHRs can Improve Patient Involvement

Patient involvement is the degree to which patients are engaged and empowered in their healthcare decisions and behaviors. Patient involvement can improve patient satisfaction, adherence, self-management, health outcomes, and quality of life. It can also reduce healthcare costs, errors, and disparities.  

Electronic Health Records (EHR) are digital systems that store and manage patients’ health information across different healthcare settings and organizations. EHRs can improve patient involvement by providing accurate, complete, and up-to-date information to healthcare providers and patients. EHRs can also enable data exchange, analytics, and research to enhance health outcomes and population health.  

In this blog post, we will discuss ways that EHRs can improve patient involvement and how to overcome the challenges and barriers that may hinder it.

EHRs can improve patient access to their own health information

One of the ways that EHRs can improve patient involvement is by enabling patients to access their health information through patient portals and smartphone health apps. Patient portals are secure online platforms that allow patients to view, download, or share their health information from their EHRs.  

Smartphone health apps are mobile applications that allow patients to access their health information from their EHRs or other sources on their phones or tablets. In addition, telehealth technologies can also provide patients with remote access to their health information and virtual consultations with their healthcare providers.

Patient access to their health information can improve patient involvement by:  

• Increasing patient awareness and understanding of their health status, conditions, treatments, medications, allergies, and other health information.

• Enhancing patient communication and collaboration with their healthcare providers by enabling them to ask questions, provide feedback, or request changes to their health information.

• Empowering patient participation and autonomy in their healthcare decisions by enabling them to review their options, preferences, goals, and plans.

• Supporting patient education and self-management by enabling them to access educational resources, reminders, alerts, or tools related to their health information.

• Improving patient outcomes and quality of life by enabling them to monitor their progress, track their results, or report their symptoms.

According to a 2020 survey of U.S. adults conducted by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), 81% of individuals went to a healthcare provider at least once within the past year. Among those who went to a doctor in the past 12 months, 60% were offered access to their patient portal, and 39% accessed their portal at least once. Among those who accessed their portal, 38% did so through a smartphone health app. Patients who received recommendations from their healthcare providers to utilize their patient portal demonstrated a higher rate of access and usage compared to those who did not receive such recommendations.  

EHRs Can Improve Patient Feedback and Input on Their health Information

Another way that EHRs can improve patient involvement is by enabling patients to provide feedback and input on their health information through patient portals and smartphone health apps. Patient feedback and input are the comments, suggestions, or corrections patients make on their health information from their EHRs. Patient feedback and input can improve the accuracy, completeness, and quality of the health information in the EHRs.  

Patient feedback and input on their health information can improve patient involvement by:  

• Improving patient trust and confidence in their health information by enabling them to verify or update it.

• Enhancing patient safety and quality of care by enabling them to identify or report errors or discrepancies in their health information.

• Empowering patient ownership and responsibility for their health information by enabling them to contribute to or supplement it.

• Supporting patient engagement and satisfaction by enabling them to express their opinions or preferences on their health information.

• Improving patient outcomes and quality of life by enabling them to share or use their health information for other purposes.

EHRs Can Improve Patient Participation in Research and Innovation

EHRs can improve patient involvement by enabling patients to participate in research and innovation through patient portals and mobile health apps. Patient participation in research and innovation are the activities that patients engage in to contribute to generating, disseminating, or applying new knowledge or technologies related to their health information from their EHRs. Patient participation in research and innovation can help advance the science and practice of healthcare and improve health outcomes and population health.  

Patient participation in research and innovation can improve patient involvement by:  

• Increasing patient awareness and understanding of the current state, gaps, and opportunities of healthcare research and innovation  

• Enhancing patient communication and collaboration with researchers and innovators by enabling them to provide consent, data, or feedback for research and innovation projects  

• Empowering patient contribution and influence in research and innovation by enabling them to co-design, co-produce, or co-evaluate research and innovation projects  

• Supporting patient education and self-management by enabling them to access or use the results, findings, or products of research and innovation projects  

• Improving patient outcomes and quality of life by enabling them to benefit from or share the benefits of research and innovation projects

EHRs Face Challenges and Barriers to Improve Patient Involvement

Despite the many benefits of EHRs for improving patient involvement, some challenges and barriers also need to be addressed and overcome. Some of these challenges and barriers are:

Technical

EHR systems may have technical issues or limitations that affect their functionality, usability, interoperability, security, or reliability. They may also require adequate infrastructure, equipment, or maintenance to support their operation.

Organizational

Healthcare organizations may have organizational issues or constraints that affect their readiness, capacity, or resources to implement, use, or support EHR systems. Healthcare organizations may also require appropriate policies, procedures, or governance to regulate their EHR system access, use, or sharing.  

Professional

Healthcare providers may have professional issues or concerns that affect their attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors toward EHR systems. They may also require adequate training, education, or support to use EHR systems effectively and efficiently.  

Patient

Patients may have issues or factors affecting their access, use, or satisfaction with EHR systems. They may also require adequate information, education, or support to use EHR systems effectively and efficiently.

Conclusion:

EHRs have the potential to revolutionize patient involvement by providing accurate data and enabling improved outcomes. But to fully realize the benefits of EHRs, you need the best in class EHR software - With talkEHR, you can easily engage with your health information, participate in research, and receive high-quality care. Choose talkEHR today and take the first step towards improved patient involvement.