The Future of Patient-Centered Care: Digital Tools and Strategies for Shared Decision-Making
A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Digital Health Technologies".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 2472
Editor
Interests: mass media and public health; health literacy and public health; media literacy and public health; fake news and disinformation; health communication; risk communication; doctor–patient communication and shared decision making; leadership and negotiation skills in health care settings
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Shared decision-making (SDM) is a structured, evidence-based process through which patients and clinicians collaborate to make healthcare decisions that incorporate the most reliable clinical evidence and the patient’s values, needs, and preferences. This approach applies to a broad spectrum of healthcare decisions, ranging from the selection of diagnostic tests and therapeutic interventions to the determination of whether to proceed with surgical procedures or other treatment options.
The landscape of patient-centered care is experiencing a significant transformation due to the rapid integration of digital technologies into healthcare systems. In the current digital environment, patients are increasingly taking an active role in their decision-making processes, aided by various innovative tools, including mobile health applications, wearable devices, telemedicine platforms, and interactive decision aids.
This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive platform for authors worldwide to share innovative ideas and research that advances patient-centered care in the digital era. Ultimately, the goal is to improve patient outcomes, safety, quality of care, and the overall effectiveness of healthcare systems.
Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Digital decision aids and shared decision-making models and strategies in various clinical contexts (e.g., chronic diseases, oncology, primary care, prevention, and vaccines).
- Validation studies of existing Patient Decision Aid tools.
- Patient engagement, empowerment, and health literacy (e.g., mobile health apps, wearables, and digital self-management tools).
- The impact of digital health tools on clinical outcomes. (e.g., patient satisfaction, adherence, quality of life, and health equity).
- Communication strategies for integrating digital solutions into patient-centered care.
- Policy frameworks and governance supporting SDM and digital health.
- Future directions for education and training.
We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue and share your insights on shaping the future of patient-centered care in the digital era.
Dr. Effie Simou
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- shared decision-making (SDM)
- patient-centered care
- digital health
- mobile health (mHealth)
- telemedicine
- digital health literacy
- patient empowerment
- decision aids
- artificial intelligence in healthcare
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