TY - JOUR
T1 - Family Caregivers and Consumer Health Information Technology
AU - Wolff, Jennifer L.
AU - Darer, Jonathan D.
AU - Larsen, Kevin L.
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported by National Institute of Mental Health grant K01MH082885 (JLW) and the Atlantic Philanthropies Health and Aging Policy Program (JLW). These sponsors were not involved in the study's concept or design, recruitment of subjects or acquisition of data, data analysis or interpretation, or in the preparation of this manuscript. We acknowledge the helpful comments of Gerard Anderson, Karen Davis, and Antonio Wolff.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015, Society of General Internal Medicine.
PY - 2016/1/1
Y1 - 2016/1/1
N2 - Health information technology has been embraced as a strategy to facilitate patients’ access to their health information and engagement in care. However, not all patients are able to access, or are capable of using, a computer or mobile device. Although family caregivers assist individuals with some of the most challenging and costly health needs, their role in health information technology is largely undefined and poorly understood. This perspective discusses challenges and opportunities of engaging family caregivers through the use of consumer-oriented health information technology. We compile existing evidence to make the case that involving family caregivers in health information technology as desired by patients is technically feasible and consistent with the principles of patient-centered and family-centered care. We discuss how more explicit and purposeful engagement of family caregivers in health information technology could advance clinical quality and patient safety by increasing the transparency, accuracy, and comprehensiveness of patient health information across settings of care. Finally, we describe how clarifying and executing patients’ desires to involve family members or friends through health information technology would provide family caregivers greater legitimacy, convenience, and timeliness in health system interactions, and facilitate stronger partnerships between patients, family caregivers, and health care professionals.
AB - Health information technology has been embraced as a strategy to facilitate patients’ access to their health information and engagement in care. However, not all patients are able to access, or are capable of using, a computer or mobile device. Although family caregivers assist individuals with some of the most challenging and costly health needs, their role in health information technology is largely undefined and poorly understood. This perspective discusses challenges and opportunities of engaging family caregivers through the use of consumer-oriented health information technology. We compile existing evidence to make the case that involving family caregivers in health information technology as desired by patients is technically feasible and consistent with the principles of patient-centered and family-centered care. We discuss how more explicit and purposeful engagement of family caregivers in health information technology could advance clinical quality and patient safety by increasing the transparency, accuracy, and comprehensiveness of patient health information across settings of care. Finally, we describe how clarifying and executing patients’ desires to involve family members or friends through health information technology would provide family caregivers greater legitimacy, convenience, and timeliness in health system interactions, and facilitate stronger partnerships between patients, family caregivers, and health care professionals.
KW - electronic health records
KW - family caregivers
KW - health information technology
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U2 - 10.1007/s11606-015-3494-0
DO - 10.1007/s11606-015-3494-0
M3 - Article
C2 - 26311198
AN - SCOPUS:84953346469
VL - 31
SP - 117
EP - 121
JO - Journal of General Internal Medicine
JF - Journal of General Internal Medicine
SN - 0884-8734
IS - 1
ER -