Enabling patients to input their health information electronically can boost patient engagement. The data they share may originate in wellness apps or other self-tracking tools, or may be more subjective, narrative-based observations. Patient-generated data also can increase provider efficiency and quality because, without data entry tasks, staff members have more time to care for patients.
More than half of Most Wired hospitals take advantage of other ways to promote patient engagement by making test results (64 percent) and visit summaries (55 percent) accessible through a portal and offering self-management tools for chronic conditions (55 percent). These can include accepting data from a scale or blood pressure cuff or downloaded directly from a glucose monitor.
The annual Most Wired Survey measures the level of health information technology adoption in U.S. hospitals. Organizations that meet certain benchmarks in four focus areas (infrastructure, business and administrative management, clinical quality and safety, and clinical integration) are named Most Wired. To take the survey or for more information, go to www.hhnmostwired.com.
