Health technology and patient-centered principles shown to improve care

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University Evidence-Based Practice Center reviewed 327 published articles examining results of health IT tools used in implementing patient-centered care. The studies looked at health outcomes for patients with a range of health conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, depression and cancer. The review was limited to research published in 1998 or later.

“Substantial evidence exists confirming that health IT applications with patient-centered care-related components have a positive effect on health care outcomes,” researchers wrote in a report published June 14 by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

The reviewers were working under a definition of patient-centered care determined by the Institute of Medicine: “care that is respectful of and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs and values and ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions.” They looked for research involving specific elements of patient-centered care, including coordination and integration of care, whole-person orientation, enhanced clinician-patient relationship, clinical information systems and socio-cultural competence.