Patient-Entered Wellness Data and Tailored Electronic Recommendations Increase Preventive Care

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Preventive Medicine
• Primary Care

Background:

• Delivering preventive care is crucial for population health.
• Integrating patient-generated data into clinical workflows can enhance care.
• Electronic tools may facilitate personalized health recommendations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if a tool using patient-entered wellness data improves preventive care delivery.
• To assess the impact of tailored electronic recommendations on provider orders.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods retrospective study design was employed.
• An Integrated Wellness Tool was utilized in primary care encounters.
• Propensity score matching compared patients using the tool with a historical control group.

Main Results:

• Providers using the tool placed significantly more orders for smoking cessation, lifestyle medicine, and psychology consults.
• Increased orders were observed for online nutrition and stress management programs.
• The tool also led to higher rates of spirometry, polysomnography, and prescriptions for antidepressant and hypnotic medications.

Conclusions:

• Patients are receptive to entering their wellness data.
• Patient-entered data effectively influences provider ordering patterns for preventive services.