From Patient to Person: An EHR-Integrated "About Me" Tool Allows Patients to Digitally Share Non-Medical Information

Patient experience is a key component of care quality, linked to outcomes like safety and medication adherence. In high-acuity inpatient settings with rotating teams, opportunities exist to better integrate patients' identities and values into the hospital experience.

To design, implement, and evaluate an EHR-integrated tool that enables hospitalized patients to share personal, non-medical information to help care teams deliver more personalized care.

Fourteen adult inpatient units across a large academic medical center (NYU Langone Health, New York, NY).

Hospitalized adults and their interprofessional care teams, including physicians, nurses, advanced practice providers, and allied health professionals.

About Me is an Epic-integrated digital tool that allows patients or caregivers to share brief, non-clinical details-such as hobbies, values, family, and communication preferences-visible to the entire care team. Patients complete entries via the NYU Langone Health App or with nurse assistance; nurses validate content for appropriateness.

Over a 2-month period, 1001 of 5452 eligible patients (18.4%) submitted entries. Entries were brief but meaningful. Five major themes emerged: hobbies, family, identity, career, and animals.

Implementation of About Me was feasible and acceptable. Even brief entries offered meaningful context that may strengthen rapport and promote more personalized, compassionate inpatient care.