One of the most important pieces of an electronic health record is often overlooked or ignored, leading to incorrect diagnoses, wasted resources and patient dissatisfaction.

It’s the patient’s voice, that highly personal collection of feelings, fears and self-collected health data that goes beyond the clinical record. The patient’s voice – or the lack of it in a clinician’s chart – could mean the difference between life and death.

People are experts in everyday living. And it’s that everyday living that should figure into a doctor’s care plan, especially is those patients are dealing with a chronic condition that affects them every day.

The advent of mobile and wearable technology has given the patient more opportunities to contribute to the care plan, and yet healthcare providers are still unwilling or hesitant to make them a part of the process. In this era of consumer-focused healthcare and value over volume, it’s important that the provider treat the patient as more than just an obedient subject who is ready and willing to take whatever the doctor prescribes.

Focusing on collecting that voice will certainly aid in the quest for outstanding patient engagement and positive health outcomes.