Date of Conferral

2015

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Marisa Wilson

Abstract

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services wanted to ensure that electronic health records were used in a meaningful manner to improve coordination and quality of patient care. In 2011, the federal government began offering monetary incentives to help healthcare facilities and providers adopt technology that supported patient access and increased their ability to manage their own health. The hospital where this project took place encouraged patients’ involvement in their health by providing a patient portal, yet the public has underutilized it. The purpose of this project was to develop an evidence-based strategy for future implementation at the hospital that will increase patients’ use of the hospital’s portal. Education will be provided through an interaction between patients and a designated staff member. An informative video describing the functionality and benefits of the portal will be shown to patients to see if individualized education increases portal enrollment and participation in the portal. Adult learning theory informed this quality improvement project. In addition, the logic model served as the framework for the development of an evaluation strategy that the organization will use post implementation. The project targets social change through patient engagement. Ideally, patient portal education will increase portal enrollment, which will increase patients’ knowledge of their health information. Evidence indicates access to one’s own health information is a first step in improving and strengthening self-care and achieving better clinical outcomes.

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