Informatics Systems and Tools to Facilitate Patient-centered Care Coordination

Abstract

Introduction: There is a growing international focus on patient- centered care. A model designed to facilitate this type of care in the primary care setting is the patient-centered medical home. This model of care strives to be patient-focused, comprehensive, team-based, coordinated, accessible, and focused on quality and safety of care.

Objective: The objective of this paper is to identify the current status and future trends of patient-centered care and the role of informatics systems and tools in facilitating this model of care.

Methods: In this paper we review recent scientific literature of the past four years to identify trends and state of current evidence when it comes to patient-centered care overall, and more specifically medical homes.

Results: There are several studies that indicate growth and development in seven informatics areas within patient-centered care, namely clinical decision support, registries, team care, care transitions, personal health records, telehealth, and measurement. In some cases we are still lacking large randomized clinical trials and the evidence base is not always solid, but findings strongly indicate the potential of informatics to support patient-centered care.

Conclusion: Current evidence indicates that advancements have been made in implementing and evaluating patient-centered care models. Technical, legal, and practical challenges still remain. Further examination of the impact of patient-centered informatics tools and systems on clinical outcomes is needed.

Keywords: Patient-centered care; clinical; decision support systems; personal health records; registries; telehealth.