reports

Patients gain information and skills to improve self-management through innovative tools

Quality Matters December 2010/January 2011.

Commonwealth Fund, New York, NY, USA

Health reform strategies such as creating patient-centered medical homes depend on an actively engaged and empowered patient population for success. To be fully engaged, patients must understand their conditions and what is involved in self-care. Researchers, health plans, and providers have been developing innovative assessment and self-management tools to help patients gain information and knowledge needed for effective self-care. Extending these tools to providers and patients nationwide will require considerable staffing resources, potentially different reimbursement policies, and other modifications to meet the needs of diverse populations.