Patient-centered care is a significant aspect of the provision of high-quality care. As such, information technology facilitates the mechanisms for providing critical information to clinicians. Therefore, clinicians in the contemporary setup have adopted the use of information systems including electronic medical records which helps them to control patient-centered care and relay information to other clinicians in the same setup. Emphasis on the use of information technology improves in the facilitation of significant information, increases bureaucracy and enhances clinician-patient relationship in patient-centered care.
Patient-centered care relies on the information; thus the health informatics field evolves with the focus on the acquisition, storage, and the application of information to enhance the care practices ( Higgins et al., 2015 ). Information technology provides the mechanisms that patients use to provide quality information to clinicians. Clinicians similarly use Information technology to easily integrate the data they collect from patients for reference to improving care. Family members and friends of the patient can also connect through social media networks to update on the critical information concerning the patient.
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Another significant contribution of IT in patient-centered care is the use of Electronic Health Records. EHRs minimizes on the potential of occurrence of chemotherapy-related errors on patient data ( Snyder et al., 2011 ). Cancer patients can rely on correct, safe and effective results. EHRs uses patient provided information which is integrated with EHRs. Notably, EHRs are currently used for the storage and reimbursement of patient data for references on visits. In the US today, 91% of the hospitals are using EHRs compared to 31% in 2003 (Landi, 2017). This shows that patient and clinicians witness the accuracy and efficacy of the use of EHRs in their data and information management. The National Survey of Pharmacy Practice in the US recommends the use of EHRs and Computer Prescriber-Order-Entry (CPOE).
Lastly, Personal Health Records are widely used in the United States for patient-controlled data. The patient uses the electronic tool to store medical information that they share with clinicians on visits. The health records are stored in cloud-based systems that sync in individual patient Microsoft and Google accounts. According to research by ( Ford, Hesse, & Huerta, (2016), the use of PHRs in the US will exceed 75% in 2020. PHRs are focused on reducing costs and providing quality care through improved consumer engagement. The US Institute of Medicine initiated the universal adoption of PHRs in 1999 which currently do not attract incentives on their adoption, and by 2020 there is a projection of an ambitious adoption of PHRs to meet organizational goals.
In conclusion, information technology enhances patient-centered care through the provision of the right platforms for storage and transfer of patient data for quality care. The current technological adaptation in health care has reduced errors related to data sharing due to the provision of the structured information collection from patients which informs and guides caregivers.
References
Ford, E. W., Hesse, B. W., & Huerta, T. R. (2016). Personal health record use in the United States: forecasting future adoption levels. Journal of medical Internet research , 18 (3).
Higgins, T. C., Crosson, J., Peikes, D., McNellis, R., Genevro, J., & Meyers, D. (2015). Using health information technology to support quality improvement in primary care (No. aad2d999a1ec484b873fa85d57540fc1). Mathematica Policy Research.
Landi, H. (2017). Survey: Nearly All U.S. Hospitals Use EHRs, CPOE Systems. Retrieved from https://www.hcinnovationgroup.com/clinical-it/news/13029134/survey-nearly-all-us-hospitals-use-ehrs-cpoe-systems
Snyder, C. F., Wu, A. W., Miller, R. S., Jensen, R. E., Bantug, E. T., & Wolff, A. C. (2011). The role of informatics in promoting patient-centered care. Cancer Journal (Sudbury, Mass.) , 17 (4), 211.
