Care Experiences; Fewer Data On Costs What The Evidence Shows About Patient Activation: Better Health Outcomes And

ABSTRACT Patient engagement is an increasingly important component ofstrategies to reform health care. In this article we review the availableevidence of the contribution that patient activation—the skills andconfidence that equip patients to become actively engaged in their healthcare—makes to health outcomes, costs, and patient experience. There is agrowing body of evidence showing that patients who are more activatedhave better health outcomes and care experiences, but there is limitedevidence to date about the impact on costs. Emerging evidence indicatesthat interventions that tailor support to the individual’s level ofactivation, and that build skills and confidence, are effective in increasingpatient activation. Furthermore, patients who start at the lowestactivation levels tend to increase the most. We conclude that policies andinterventions aimed at strengthening patients’ role in managing theirhealth care can contribute to improved outcomes and that patientactivation can—and should—be measured as an intermediate outcome ofcare that is linked to improved outcomes.