In 2002, Healthwise created the Center for Information Therapy (Ix Center) to advance the practice and science of information therapy and established an independent Information Therapy Commission to direct the Center’s policy efforts. The IxCenter developed white papers, organized conferences and provided a forum for the exchange of ideas and innovations around all aspects of information therapy. It became an independent 501c3, not-for-profit organization in 2006 and contributed greatly to the evolution of Information Therapy in US healthcare until its dissolution in 2009. A short but rich history of the IxCenter is available here.
The Ix (Information Therapy) After Visit Summary
Research shows that patients have significant difficulty remembering and understanding medical information after clinical encounters. Research suggests patients forget somewhere between 40 and 80 percent of medical information given immediately after the visit. Of the information that is remembered, almost half is remembered incorrectly (Kessels 2003). The after-visit summary (AVS) is an Ix tool that can be used to help patients remember pertinent medical information.
Ix for Rx Adherence: Research and Strategies for Improving Medication Adherence with Information Therapy
Medication adherence, the degree to which patients take medications as prescribed, is an ongoing problem with no simple or easy solution. The purpose of this paper is to consider the issue of medication adherence through the lens of information therapy (Ix). The Ix approach offers a framework for thinking through adherence from a patient perspective.
Navigating a Changing Health Care System: How Consumers, Clinicians and Policymakers Can Make Sense of Shared Decision Making and Information Therapy
Consumers and clinicians need new tools and resources to match information to individual needs and structure the way they think about health care choices and communicate about them. In order to assess how these changes are unfolding across North America, we interviewed two experts who are leading efforts to implement shared decision making and decision aids into clinical practice. This paper summarizes their views and highlights some key themes and issues for those interested in getting these types of interventions implemented.
Improving Population Care and Disease Management Using Ix Principles
Simply stretching today’s "sick-care" system is no longer feasible to effectively manage chronic care. A new model of care is needed—one that places the focus of control with individuals and that supports all health decisions with targeted information prescriptions.
Turning on the Light: Illuminating the Care Experience Through a New Consumer Paradigm for Quality Measurement
Consumers are often “in the dark” when it comes to understanding the quality of care delivered by providers and health plans. The little information about provider quality that does exist is hard to understand, and it’s frequently not clear how the ratings were calculated. Opening the “black box” of health care performance measurement will require a consumer focus, innovative thinking, provider commitment, and an investment of scientific and practical resources.
The Arrival of 21st-Century Health Care: Group Health Cooperative Reengineers Its Delivery System Around Information Therapy and Patient-Centered Informatics
This best practices paper reveals how Group Health Cooperative is revolutionizing care delivery by using information therapy and patient-centered informatics as key strategies. Members can have anytime, anywhere access to personalized health information and immediate connections to clinical support.
The Mysterious Maze of the World Wide Web: What Makes Internet Health Information High Quality?
Existing tools designed to help consumers find credible Internet health information focus almost exclusively on proxy measures of quality, such characteristics of the site sponsors and whether the site lists its sources. This paper presents results from the review of 90 sites with diabetes information and lays out an alternative strategy to help consumers find accurate, comprehensive health information online.
The Ix Evidence Base: Using Information Therapy to Cross the Quality Chasm
This white paper pulls together the empirical evidence that demonstrates how information therapy (Ix) responds to the call to action issued by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Specifically, self-care, self-management, shared decision making, and other Ix-related initiatives improve patient knowledge, self-efficacy, clinical quality, patient experience with care, and cost-effectiveness.
The Business Cases for Information Therapy
Information prescriptions have great value for patients in helping them improve their care both at home and with their health professionals. For hospitals, clinics, and health plans, information therapy can create huge benefits that can make the difference between success and failure in today's markets.
The IxResearch Briefing captures the key takeaways of recent research into the field of information therapy. We hope these IxResearch Briefings stimulate thought and encourage you to reference the briefed studies. IxResearch Briefings were created by the Center for Information Therapy prior to its adoption by eHealth Initiative. eHI continues to review and present findings of research in the field of patient and family engagement, including information therapy.
IxResearch Briefing October 2009
Periodic Prompts and Reminders
Cancer Survivorship Care Plans
Message Tailoring
IxResearch Briefing August 2009
Informing Patients of Test Results
Surgery Discharge Instructions
Patient Education and Cancer Pain Management
IxResearch Briefing June 2009
EHR Definitions
PHR Acceptability and Implications
PHR Implementation Strategies
Accuracy of Medical Records
IxResearch Briefing May 2009
Reengineered Hospital Discharge Program
Information Sheets for Cardiac Patients
Motivating Use of Physician Performance Data
IxResearch Briefing February 2009
Sending Clinical Message Alerts Directly to Patients
The Power of Patient Reminders for Cancer Screening
Text Messaging for Weight Loss
IxResearch Briefing November 2008
Physician-Patient Communication in the Hospital
Educating Consumers on Medication Best Buys
What Happens When Patients Control Their Personal Health Data?
IxResearch Briefing September 2008
Physicians Overestimate Patient Understanding of Health Information
Patients Overestimate Their Understanding of Health Information
Fatal Medication Mistakes
IxResearch Briefing June 2008
Presentation Matters: Providing Health Risk
Is Patient Satisfaction Influenced by the Provision of Medical Information?
E-prescriptions and Medication-related Communication Issues
IxResearch Briefing January 2008
Mortality Graphs and Survival Graphs Have Different Strengths and Weaknesses
Automated Test Results Management System Increases Patient Satisfaction
Interventions Designed to Help Patients Address Information Needs During Visits to Providers Have Shown Limited Benefits
IxResearch Briefing November 2007
Information Rx Program Has Potential to Improve Patient Education and Doctor-Patient Communication
Patient-Physician E-mail Can Increase Patient Satisfaction and Improve Access to and Quality of Care
Internet-Based Physical Activity Interventions Are Promising, But More Research Is Needed
IxResearch Briefing August 2007
Inadequate Health Literacy Independently Predicts All-Cause and Cardiovascular Death Among Elderly People
Increases in Patient Activation Result in Improved Self-Management Behavior
Internet and Mobile Phone Support Can Help Healthy Adults Increase and Maintain Their Physical Activity Levels
IxResearch Briefing May 2007
High-Quality Internet Information May Improve Patients’ Satisfaction With Their Doctors
Tailoring Interventions to a Woman’s Mammography Stage of Change Can Make Them More Efficient and Effective
Patient Engagement with Discharge Summaries Can Improve Communication
Problems Between Hospital-Based and Primary Care Physicians
IxResearch Briefing March 2007
Physicians Unprepared for Patients With Internet-Based Health Information
Telephone-Based Ix Intervention Empowers Seniors—And Reduces Mortality
Physician Reimbursement for Ix Could Improve Care for Elderly Patients
IxResearch Briefing December 2006
Ix Can Improve Asthma Outcomes When Implemented in an ED Setting
Web-Based Information Therapy Solutions for Improving Pediatric Care
Consumers’ Criteria for Information Therapy Innovations
IxResearch Briefing November 2006
Patient-Focused Interventions: A Review of the Evidence
IxResearch Briefing August 2006
A Tailored Information Therapy System for Diabetes Management
Patient-Provider Communication After an Adverse Event
Culturally Congruent Information Therapy
IxResearch Briefing May 2006
The Impact of Reminders on Screening Rates
Effect of Different Forms of Information Produced for Cancer Patients on Their Use of the Information, Social Support and Anxiety
Systematic Review of Interactive Technology in Diabetes Care
IxResearch Briefing April 2006
Using the Internet to Enhance Physician-Patient Communication
Patients' Perceived Barriers to Active Self-Management of Chronic Conditions
A Systematic Review on Communicating with Patients about Evidence