With the sophistication and widespread adoption of information technology tools in clinical settings, they can be adapted to be used for patient education and disease management. The use of the Internet and personal computing devices offers an opportunity to provide patients with reliable and evidence-based knowledge regarding their conditions and how to manage them. High accessibility of electronic devices both in the hospital and at home offers a possibility to innovate health education since IT-driven programs can be programmed to be uniquely customizable and offer value-based treatment options. Furthermore, after discharge, patients can continue to access any materials and receive access to practitioners through telehealth to continue disease management and education (Einhorn et al., 2018).
Health literacy and education will continue to increase as technology capabilities improve as well. Numerous possibilities such as wearable devices can potentially maintain real-time tracking and alert patients when demonstrating poor health behaviors or symptoms, at the same time providing relevant information on how to improve them. This can be practiced both in outpatient and in-patient settings. Health information technology tools encourage the collection and storage of information that can be used with artificial intelligence to provide accurate and targeted education to consumers through media and patient information portals. Electronic tools allow for direct availability of information to patients, improving literacy and enhancing outcomes in the long-term by increasing positive health behaviors, treatment and medication adherence, and disease management.
Reference
Einhorn, T. A., Osmani, F. A., Sayeed, Y., Karia, R., Band, P., & Iorio, R. (2018). The role of patient education in arthritis management. Orthopedic Clinics of North America, 49(4), 389-396. Web.