ABSTRACT
Patients who know how to navigate the health care system often have different perspectives than those who provide their care and can offer insights on how to overcome the barriers that patients face to help improve care. This chapter describes issues surrounding informed patient decision making and the steps necessary to improve the way decisions are made. Creating incentives for providers and health care organizations to inform patients and incorporate patients’ goals into decisions is critical. Patient surveys are needed to monitor the quality of decision making. Health information technology can help by collecting information from patients about their symptoms, how well they understand their options, and what is important to them, and sharing that information with providers. The importance of “patient engagement” has been widely researched and discussed with evidence supporting its significance on lowering cost and improving patient outcomes.
