The Levine Experience in Piloting Electronic Patient Engagement Tools in a Pediatric Specialty Clinic Setting

• We discussed self-management and engagement in patients with a chronic disease.
• Evidence supports that patients who are actively engaged have better outcomes.
• We pilot tested patient-facing, electronic engagement tools in a pediatric setting.
• There was a positive reaction among patients to piloting the engagement tools.
• Participating families were better prepared to actively engage in their care.

Through Improve Care Now, a quality improvement and research collaborative for pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease, our clinic piloted the feasibility and acceptability of patient-facing electronic technology to enhance engagement. This article qualitatively describes our experience piloting the technology. Participants included 36 families. Tools included a Web-based report pushed to families before office visits explaining current and past results on key health metrics and a mobile app for tracking symptoms and concerns and previsit planning between scheduled office visits. Building technology into clinical care required more support than anticipated. The tools improved collaboration and were well received.