Table 1.

Time-saving strategies for patient education in a digital information era.

Identified issue and recommendations		Implementation	Examples of using the recommended approach
No time to address patients’ questions
	Set a collaborative agenda at the beginning of a visit	Ask the patient about their agenda, establish the number of concerns that can be addressed, and collaborate on a plan for any remaining issues.	Collaborative agenda-setting did not increase visit length, but reduced the amount of “oh by the way” concerns that surfaced at the end of the visit [51].
	Assess patients’ concerns and questions preemptively, prior to the visit	Assessing patients’ concerns could be completed either in paper-and-pencil format in a waiting room or via electronic check-in with artificial intelligence–powered chatbots and electronic visit planners.	Patients who used a visit planner in the waiting room were more prepared and began the visit by communicating their top concerns [52].
	Diversify modes of communication	Telehealth visits, e-visits, or communication via a patient portal could be helpful to meet patients’ remaining needs after clinical encounters.	Asynchronous e-visits through a patient portal provided clinical outcomes that were comparable to those provided by in-person care [53].
No time to ensure patient understanding of clinical information
	Educational sessions	Use follow-up visits or education in small groups to clarify diagnosis and treatment options.	A group session saved 111 hours of clinical time, with 92% of patients increasing confidence regarding critical concepts in oncology care [54].
	Use educational materials about evidence-based treatment	Use standardized printed materials.	Patients who received printed chemotherapy information had almost 3 times greater odds of understanding their goals of care [18].
No time to verify information that patients find on their own
	Direct patients to reliable digital resources	Preemptively advise patients on where to find high-quality resources for self-education, considering patients’ literacy, e-literacy, cultural background, and access to digital resources.	An example from a qualitative research, in which clinicians share their recommendations on how to help patients to stay informed: “...maybe suggest some more sites that will...have... more reputable information...direct them that way” [55].
	Contribute to increasing patients’ digital literacy	Share tips with patients on how to identify reliable information and direct patients to resources that might help them learn about finding reliable information, including educational materials and workshops.	The National Cancer Institute provides resources for patients on how to identify reliable information online [56].
	Engage other health care team members	Patients may address questions about information they find on their own to nurses, medical assistants, nutritionists, integrative specialists, physical therapists, and other experts in the health care system.	Nurse practitioners tend to adopt a patient-centered communication style while communicating about patients’ online health information–seeking [57].