Chapter 10 176 Part III – Patient empowerment: Use of eHealth as discharge aid Summary Finally, in this thesis we addressed the importance of involving the patient in his or her treatment strategy. Patient centred care models encourage shared decisionmaking between patients and healthcare providers (1, 59). Patient empowerment may be impacted by knowledge concerning early recognition of possible complications. Patients who are engaged in their care are more likely to adhere to therapy, helping promptly identify irregularities or complications (59). Health literacy and disease self-management can benefit from eHealth applications (60, 61). In chapter 8 we compared patient-tailored discharge information with conventional discharge information in a single center prospective study (62). A total of 112 patients undergoing an electrophysiological procedure were enrolled between January and March 2016. The provided discharge information was evaluated using a peerreviewed questionnaire distributed among patients, nurses, and nurse practitioners. The web tool was found easy to use and time-saving by the nurse practitioners. Patients evaluated the generated discharge information as equal to the standard information. A reduction in discharge preparation time and increased uniformity of provided information were reported by nurses. As a result of advances in therapy and changes in care pathways a reduction in (re)hospitalisations was observed in the Erasmus MC. The Erasmus MC, being a tertiary referral hospital, has a wider catchment area than other hospitals in the region and referred patients are at risk for a gap in their follow-up. Use of eHealth may facilitate a reduction of patient time spent in clinical assessments, and reduced travel times (63). Early recognition of complications may also be possible using telemedicine. In our clinical practice we offer teleconsultation for patients until their first outpatient clinic visit. In chapter 9 we studied the feasibility of telemedical wound assessment using a mobile phone (64). In a single center prospective study we compared groups using feature phones with integrated camera (e.g. Nokia 2230 or Sony K700i) with those using smartphones. Typically, older patients used a feature phone. Patients were instructed to photograph their wound or puncture site after hospital discharge and
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