Describe at least three benefits of patient portals and explain why these benefits are important for practice.

Facilitating Patient Engagement With Health IT Systems
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act calls on health care organizations to develop meaningful use–based patient portals. Patient outcomes are improved when patients participate and are engaged in their own health care. In this week’s Discussion, consider the importance and potential benefits of patient-centered care as it relates to the HITECH Act’s mandate that health care organizations utilize patient portals in order to actively support patient engagement.

To prepare for this Discussion:

Review all of this week’s Resources.
Reflect on the benefits of patient portals, how these portals engage patients and their families in patient-centered care, and how they are changing the patient–provider relationship.
Consider the effects of patient-generated health data on the continuity, quality, and safety of care.
By Day 3
Post the following:

Describe at least three benefits of patient portals and explain why these benefits are important for practice. Be specific and provide examples.
Explain how patient portals contribute to patient-centered care.
Explain how patient portals are changing the nature of the patient–provider relationship.
Explain how patient-generated health data can contribute to the continuity, quality, and safety of care.
Explain how patient portals and patient-generated health data contribute to health literacy.
Note: Post a 3-paragraph (at least 350 words) response. Be sure to use evidence, in-text citations, and essay-level writing skills, including the use of transitional material and organizational frames. Use the writing resources and the Discussion Rubric to develop your post.

Hebda, T., Hunter, K., & Czar, P. (2019). Handbook of informatics for nurses & health care professionals (6th ed.). Pearson.

Chapter 4, “Information Literacy and the Critical Assessment of Online Information” (pp. 58–60)
Chapter 18, “Consumer Health Informatics” (pp.376–377, 380–385)

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