Using technology to enhance patient-centered care.

PATIENT-CENTERED CAREAs hospitals and health systems continue to introduce information technology and other tools of a modern and progressive high-tech healthcare environment, great opportunities still remain for a high-touch, personalized, and patient-focused experience. Indeed, patient-centered hospitals have developed innovative ways to use technology to support and enhance personalized patient care (Frampton et al. 2008).HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGYHealth information technology (HIT) refers to the use of a variety of electronic methods to manage information about the health and medical care of individuals and groups of patients (RWJF 2006). In general, it allows healthcare providers to collect, store, retrieve, and transfer information electronically. The US Department of Health and Human Services (2011) suggests that HIT makes it possible for healthcare providers to better manage patient care through secure use and sharing of health information. It further affirms that widespread use of HIT can make our healthcare system more efficient, reduce paperwork for patients and doctors, expand access to affordable care, and build a healthier future for the United States. Across the country, hospitals and healthcare systems are experiencing a proliferation of information technology.The benefits of using HIT may be visible across an organization, but information isn't what is at the center of this approach. Patients are.PATIENT-CENTERED CAREThe Institute of Medicine (2001) recognizes patient-centered care as one of six major domains of healthcare quality and defines it as "care that is respectful of and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs, and values," ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions. Planetree, an internationally recognized leader in patientcentered care, has demonstrated great strides in advancing the concept. The Planetree model of care is a patient-centered, holistic approach to healthcare that promotes mental, emotional, spiritual, social, and physical healing, in part by empowering patients and families through the exchange of information (Planetree 2012).The promise of greater efficiency, improved quality of care, enhanced patient safety, and significant financial incentives are compelling health systems to continue to invest in HIT. However, a number of Planetree members are finding that technology need not come at the expense of patient-centered care - though balancing the two must be an intentional process (Planetree 2010).PATIENT-CENTERED CARE AND HITHIT has tremendous potential to enable, support, and enhance patient-centered care. Effective, meaningful use of HIT can actually be viewed as an essential element of a healthcare system that is designed to meet the patient's needs and preferences at the right time, in the right setting, for the right reason, and at the right cost (Powell 2009b). Furthermore, when designed and used appropriately, HIT is expected to enhance patient safety, improve communication between patients and providers, and contribute to better patient care (IOM 2011).The literature reflects that there can be a positive relationship between HIT and patient-centered care. Powell (2009a) identified that a fully patient-centered healthcare system will exhibit care that is comprehensive, coordinated, personalized, and planned when enabled and supported by effective and meaningful HIT. Additionally, a study conducted by Penfield and Anderson (2011) identified that "HIT is transforming the way health-related information is gathered, stored, shared and used. . . . HIT will revolutionize the entire American health care system, making it more efficient, more effective and more focused on meeting the needs of patients." Furthermore, a recent study conducted by Finkelstein and colleagues (2012) concluded that significant evidence exists to confirm the positive impact of HIT on patient-centered care.CASE IN POINT AT WINDBER MEDICAL CENTERWindber Medical Center, a 54-bed hospital in western Pennsylvania, is a Designated Planetree Patient-Centered Hospital. …