A pilot program that allowed patients to provide feedback on medications listed in their EHR found 89 percent of respondents requested changes. These patients were also more than twice as likely to use the health system outpatient portal compared to average patients, researchers found.
In chronic conditions, such as heart failure and hypertension, a complex pharmacopeia requires patients, physicians and pharmacists to work together to keep medications balanced and avoid negative interactions. With more than 55.1 million Americans living with hypertension and more than 22.5 million with heart disease, enabling patient involvement in healthcare is vital to reducing errors and improving communication and efficiency.
Patients who were more involved in updating medications also sought more frequent clinician contact through secure electronic messaging via the same outpatient portal, found lead author Prashila Dullabh, MD, of the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, and colleagues.
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