Developing an eHealth Tool to Support Patient Empowerment at Home

In previous research we have learned that patients with chronic or complex diseases often experience difficulties when transitioning from hospital care to self-care in their home. We address these difficulties by developing an eHealth tool for patients – ePATH (electronic Patient Activation in Treatment at Home) – intended to empower each patient to manage their individual situation. We have employed a user-centered design process involving both patients and healthcare personnel to specify the content and functionality of ePATH. The system is deployed as a web application with secure login for patients. In this article, we describe the main content and functionality of the system that makes it possible for a patient to manage symptoms development in relation to treatment progression Interactive functionality, e.g., reminders and social support, is included to make the ePATH a useful and informative bridge between patients, next-of-kin and different caregivers. One lesson learned is that it is necessary to incorporate motivational components in the development of an eHealth tool to successfully overcome the “intention-behavior” gap. The self-determination theory of motivation can be used to ensure that important aspects are not missed.