Improving the Effectiveness of Consumer Health IT

Abstract

Many of the most successful health information technology (IT) applications have made it easier for clinicians to provide high-quality care to patients. However, despite the demonstrated effectiveness of consumer health IT applications to improve health outcomes, their uptake lags. Improved design of consumer health IT applications may enable broader acceptance and increase use. Thus, a project supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) was conducted to uncover design methods used in other industries that might be extended to the design of consumer health IT applications. This paper summarizes the findings from that project.