title: Report of conference track 3: patient empowerment.
abstract: Patient empowerment is a philosophy of health care that proceeds from the perspective that optimal outcomes of health care interventions are achieved when patients become active participants in the health care process. Under a patient empowerment philosophy, patients and clinicians jointly set goals, select interventions, and assess outcomes according to mutually-defined parameters. Employing patient empowerment as an information systems design philosophy leads to creation of computerized information resources, management systems and telehealth innovations in a manner that insures patients' abilities to participate as full partners in health care. Discussions in the track 3 discussion group led to refinement of the concept from patient empowerment to patient engagement. This report reflects the discussions by the participants.
authors.affiliation: csafran@cstlink.com
authors.forename: Patti
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brennan
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Safran
mesh_terms: D003226:Congresses as Topic; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005858:Germany; D006751:Hospital Information Systems / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008491:Medical Informatics Applications; D010358:Patient Participation