We are all patients and caregivers at some point in our lives. Just about everyone has had the experience of sitting in a doctor’s office feeling apprehensive, overwhelmed by information and uncertain about what questions to ask. Most people know all too well what it feels like to walk out of the doctor’s office having forgotten something the doctor said and regretting not having asked more questions.
This is a pervasive problem that undermines public health and wellness. As the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) said in a national action plan released in 2013:
Many studies have shown that engaged patients—those who actively seek to know more about and manage their own health—are more likely than others to participate in preventive and healthy practices, self-manage their conditions, and achieve better outcomes.
“A National Action Plan To Support Consumer Engagement Via E-Health” Health Aff, February 2013 32:2376-384
