Two Useful Tools

We use an Internet-based health assessment and feedback system to examine the range of needs and diverse experiences of 520 hospitalized adults in transition and the factors most strongly associated with their self-reported health confidence. Our results strongly suggest that patient engagement prior to admission and the quality of care coordination and communication during hospitalization can greatly enhance successful transition from the hospital back to the community. Hospitals are complex institutions. This report illustrates how the Internet or a straightforward graphic can make the complexity less overwhelming to patients and efficiently increasetheirhealthconfidencefortransitions.Key words:experience of care, health confidence, health technology, hospital discharge, patient activation, patient engagement, quality of care, self-care, self-management, transitions in care