Increasing Patient and Family Engagement in Health Care

In 2008, the National Quality Forum declared patient and family engagement to be one of six national priorities to eradicate disparities, reduce harm, and remove waste from the health care system in the U.S. In a previous editorial in the February 2009 issue of P&T, I discussed these goals and how truly progressive they were in helping the health care system cross the “quality chasm.”1 I recently had the opportunity to become involved with a newly formed nonprofit organization devoted to improving health care quality and safety, specifically through patient engagement. The Institute for Interactive Patient Care (IIPC) seeks to conduct research that can determine how patient engagement can best be achieved and the extent to which it can improve patient outcomes. Even though much research has shown the value of patient education and its role in bringing about positive outcomes, few studies have addressed getting patients involved in their own care and using technology to engage patients. The efforts of Judith Hibbard and her colleagues have helped to create the Patient Activation Measure (PAM), a tool that quantifies an individual’s level of activation, or engagement, in their care.2 Patients’ scores are assigned to one of four stages of activation:3