scholarly journals Insights Into Older Adult Patient Concerns Around the Caregiver Proxy Portal Use: Qualitative Interview Study (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celine Latulipe ◽  
Sara A. Quandt ◽  
Kathryn Altizer Melius ◽  
Alain Bertoni ◽  
David P. Miller Jr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Chronic Illness ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Personal Information ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Adult Patients ◽  
Patient Portal ◽  
Patient Portals ◽  
Qualitative Interview Study

BACKGROUND Electronic patient portals have become common and offer many potential benefits for patients’ self-management of health care. These benefits could be especially important for older adult patients dealing with significant chronic illness, many of whom have caregivers, such as a spouse, adult child, or other family member or friend, who help with health care management. Patient portals commonly contain large amounts of personal information, including diagnoses, health histories, medications, specialist appointments, lab results, and billing and insurance information. Some health care systems provide proxy accounts for caregivers to access a portal on behalf of a patient. It is not well known how much and in what way caregivers are using patient portals on behalf of patients and whether patients see any information disclosure risks associated with such access. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to examine how older adult patients perceive the benefits and risks of proxy patient portal access by their caregivers. METHODS We conducted semistructured interviews with 10 older adult patients with chronic illness. We asked them about their relationship with their caregivers, their use of their patient portal, their caregiver’s use of the portal, and their perceptions about the benefits and risks of their caregiver’s use of the portals. We also asked them about their comfort level with caregivers having access to information about a hypothetical diagnosis of a stigmatized condition. Two investigators conducted a thematic analysis of the qualitative data. RESULTS All patients identified caregivers. Some had given caregivers access to their portals, in all cases by sharing log-in credentials, rather than by setting up an official proxy account. Patients generally saw benefits in their caregivers having access to the information and functions provided by the portal. Patients generally reported that they would be uncomfortable with caregivers learning of stigmatized conditions and also with caregivers (except spouses) accessing financial billing information. CONCLUSIONS Patients share their electronic patient portal credentials with caregivers to receive the benefits of those caregivers having access to important medical information but are unaware of all the information those caregivers can access. Better portal design could alleviate these unwanted information disclosures.

scholarly journals Older adults using a patient portal: registration and experiences, one year after implementation

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 205520761879788 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaby Anne Wildenbos ◽  
Karim Maasri ◽  
Monique Jaspers ◽  
Linda Peute
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Medical History ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Adult Patients ◽  
Patient Portal ◽  
Patient Portals ◽  
History Information ◽  
One Year

Background and objectives The interest of older adults in using patient portals is rising, yet subject to functional and usability barriers. This study aims to gain insight into registration rates and experiences of older adult patients using a patient portal, one year after implementation in an academic hospital. Methods Registration rates for one year were collected via automated data extraction. Older adult patients’ experiences were collected through a survey, available via the portal in the last three months of the year. Results Older adults were a large user group of the patient portal and appreciated its functionalities. In one year, 10,679 older adult patients (aged 56+) registered, which constituted 47% of total portal registrations. The 131 older adult survey respondents had a mean age of 64.5 years and 40% indicated that they liked to review their medical information and appointments via the portal. Yet, older adults experienced user interaction issues and had higher expectations of content within the portal and patient/provider communication through the portal. Of the survey respondents, 22% experienced usability issues at login and in viewing test results, 15% commented on late or no responses by providers on patients’ sent messages and 24% expected the portal to provide medical history information. Implications: Patient portal designs should be optimized to usability needs of older adults. Portals preferably include medical history information, physicians’ notes and require prompt responses of providers.

scholarly journals Implications of Patient Portal Transparency in Oncology: Qualitative Interview Study on the Experiences of Patients, Oncologists, and Medical Informaticists (Preprint)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordan M Alpert ◽  
Bonny B Morris ◽  
Maria D Thomson ◽  
Khalid Matin ◽  
Richard F Brown
Keyword(s):  
Health Knowledge ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Patient Portal ◽  
Patient Portals ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Communication Processes ◽  
Qualitative Interview Study ◽  
Unrestricted Access ◽  
Patient Provider Communication

BACKGROUND Providing patients with unrestricted access to their electronic medical records through patient portals has impacted patient-provider communication and patients’ personal health knowledge. However, little is known about how patient portals are used in oncology. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to understand attitudes of the portal’s adoption for oncology and to identify the advantages and disadvantages of using the portal to communicate and view medical information. METHODS In-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with 60 participants: 35 patients, 13 oncologists, and 12 medical informaticists. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed to identify critical incidents and general attitudes encountered by participants. RESULTS Two primary themes were discovered: (1) implementation practices influence attitudes, in which the decision-making and execution process of introducing portals throughout the hospital did not include the input of oncologists. Lack of oncologists’ involvement led to a lack of knowledge about portal functionality, such as not knowing the time period when test results would be disclosed to patients; (2) perceptions of portals as communication tools varies by user type, meaning that each participant group (patients, oncologists, and medical informaticists) had varied opinions about how the portal should be used to transmit and receive information. Oncologists and medical informaticists had difficulty understanding one another’s culture and communication processes in their fields, while patients had preferences for how they would like to receive communication, but it largely depended upon the type of test being disclosed. CONCLUSIONS The majority of patients (54%, 19/35) who participated in this study viewed lab results or scan reports via the portal before being contacted by a clinician. Most were relatively comfortable with this manner of disclosure but still preferred face-to-face or telephone communication. Findings from this study indicate that portal education is needed for both patients and oncologists, especially when portals are implemented across entire health systems since highly specialized areas of medicine may have unique needs and uses. Patient portals in oncology can potentially alter the way diagnoses are delivered and how patients and oncologists communicate. Therefore, communication about the portal should be established during initial consultations so patients can decide whether they want to be informed in such a manner.

scholarly journals Patient Portal Functionalities and Uptake: Systematic Review Protocol

10.2196/14975 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. e14975 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abrar Alturkistani ◽  
Geva Greenfield ◽  
Felix Greaves ◽  
Shirin Aliabadi ◽  
Rosemary H Jenkins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Health Care Quality ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
Risk Of Bias ◽  
Adult Patients ◽  
Patient Portal ◽  
Patient Portals ◽  
Quality Outcomes

Background Patient portals are digital health tools adopted by health care organizations. The portals are generally connected to the electronic health record of the health care organization and offer patients functionalities such as access to the medical record, ability to order repeat prescriptions, make appointments, or message the health care provider. Patient portals may be beneficial for both patients and the health care system. Patient portals can widely differ from one context to another due to the differences in the portal functionalities and capabilities and it is anticipated that outcomes associated with the functionalities also differ. Current systematic reviews report outcomes associated with patient portal uptake but do not explicitly specify the patient portal functionalities. Objective The aim of this systematic review is to synthesize the evidence on health and health care quality outcomes associated with patient portal use among adult (18 years or older) patients. The review research questions are as follows: What kind of health outcomes do tethered patient portals and patient portal functionalities contribute to in adult patients (18 years or older)? and What kind of health care quality outcomes, including health care utilization outcomes, do tethered patient portals and patient portal functionalities contribute to in adult patients (18 years or older)? Methods The systematic review will be conducted by searching the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Scopus databases for relevant literature. The review inclusion criteria will be studies about adult patients (18 years or older), studies only about tethered patient portals, and studies with or without a comparator. We will report patient portal–associated health and health care quality outcomes based on the patient portal functionalities. All quantitative primary study types will be included. Risk of bias of included studies will be assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration’s tool for assessing risk of bias in randomized trials and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s quality assessment tools. Data will be synthesized using narrative synthesis and will be reported according to the patient portal functionalities, country, disease, and health care system model. Results Searches will be conducted in September 2019, and the review is anticipated to be completed by the end of June 2020. Conclusions This systematic review will provide an overview of health and health care quality outcomes associated with patient portal use among adult patients, providing detailed information about the functionalities of the portals and their associations with the outcomes. The review could potentially help patient portal evaluation studies by providing insights into outcomes associated with the different functionalities of patient portals. Trial Registration International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) CRD42019141131; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=141131 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) PRR1-10.2196/14975

scholarly journals Patient Portal Functionalities and Uptake: Systematic Review Protocol (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abrar Alturkistani ◽  
Geva Greenfield ◽  
Felix Greaves ◽  
Shirin Aliabadi ◽  
Rosemary H Jenkins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Health Care Quality ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
Risk Of Bias ◽  
Adult Patients ◽  
Patient Portal ◽  
Patient Portals ◽  
Quality Outcomes

BACKGROUND Patient portals are digital health tools adopted by health care organizations. The portals are generally connected to the electronic health record of the health care organization and offer patients functionalities such as access to the medical record, ability to order repeat prescriptions, make appointments, or message the health care provider. Patient portals may be beneficial for both patients and the health care system. Patient portals can widely differ from one context to another due to the differences in the portal functionalities and capabilities and it is anticipated that outcomes associated with the functionalities also differ. Current systematic reviews report outcomes associated with patient portal uptake but do not explicitly specify the patient portal functionalities. OBJECTIVE The aim of this systematic review is to synthesize the evidence on health and health care quality outcomes associated with patient portal use among adult (18 years or older) patients. The review research questions are as follows: What kind of health outcomes do tethered patient portals and patient portal functionalities contribute to in adult patients (18 years or older)? and What kind of health care quality outcomes, including health care utilization outcomes, do tethered patient portals and patient portal functionalities contribute to in adult patients (18 years or older)? METHODS The systematic review will be conducted by searching the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Scopus databases for relevant literature. The review inclusion criteria will be studies about adult patients (18 years or older), studies only about tethered patient portals, and studies with or without a comparator. We will report patient portal–associated health and health care quality outcomes based on the patient portal functionalities. All quantitative primary study types will be included. Risk of bias of included studies will be assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration’s tool for assessing risk of bias in randomized trials and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s quality assessment tools. Data will be synthesized using narrative synthesis and will be reported according to the patient portal functionalities, country, disease, and health care system model. RESULTS Searches will be conducted in September 2019, and the review is anticipated to be completed by the end of June 2020. CONCLUSIONS This systematic review will provide an overview of health and health care quality outcomes associated with patient portal use among adult patients, providing detailed information about the functionalities of the portals and their associations with the outcomes. The review could potentially help patient portal evaluation studies by providing insights into outcomes associated with the different functionalities of patient portals. CLINICALTRIAL International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) CRD42019141131; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=141131 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT PRR1-10.2196/14975

scholarly journals Older Adults' Perceptions and Use of Patient Portals: A Comparative Analysis of Two Samples

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 837-837
Author(s):  
Hyojin Son ◽  
Eun-Shim Nahm ◽  
Shijun Zhu ◽  
Elizabeth Galik ◽  
Barbara Van de Castle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Patient Portal ◽  
Patient Portals ◽  
Perceived Usability ◽  
Care System

Abstract Older adults can benefit from using patient portals. Little is known whether the perceptions and use of patient portals differ among diverse older adult populations. The aim of this study was to assess the difference in perceived usability of patient portals, self-efficacy for using patient portals, and patient portal use between two adult samples aged 65 years or older. One sample was recruited from a health care system, including hospitals and clinics (n = 174), and the other sample was recruited from nationwide communities (n = 126). Conducting a secondary data analysis using two survey datasets, this study performed a series of linear and ordinal logistic regression analyses. The health care system sample had a higher mean number of chronic diseases and proportion of recent hospitalization than the community sample. The health care system sample showed higher perceived usability, self-efficacy, and usage frequency of patient portals compared to the community sample. eHealth literacy was a significant predictor of perceived usability and self-efficacy. Perceived usability was another significant predictor of self-efficacy. Self-efficacy and health condition variables significantly predicted the more frequent use of patient portals. Compared to the health care system sample, the relationship between perceived usability and use of patient portals was stronger and significant in the community sample. These findings suggest that approaches for promoting patient portal use should consider personal characteristics and health conditions of diverse older adult populations. Future research needs to focus on assessing the impact of using patient portals on older adults’ health care outcomes.

scholarly journals Converging perspectives of providers and student users on extending a patient portal into a university-based mental health service: A qualitative study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
N Gasteiger ◽  
Theresa Fleming ◽  
K Day
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Patient Portal ◽  
Patient Portals

© 2020 The Authors Background: Patient portals have the potential to increase access to mental health services. However, a lack of research is available to guide practices on extending patient portals into mental health services. This study explored stakeholder (student service users' and health providers') expectations and perceptions of extending patient portals into a New Zealand university-based mental health service. Materials and methods: This qualitative study explored the perspectives of 17 students and staff members at a university-based health and counselling service on an Internet-based patient portal through a software demonstration, two focus groups and 13 interviews. Data were analyzed thematically. Results: Staff and students perceived the patient portal as useful, easy to use and expected it to help make mental health care more accessible. Staff were most concerned with the portal's ability to support their triage processes and that it might enable students to ‘counselor hop’ (see multiple counselors). Staff recommended extension into services that do not require triage. Most students expected the portal to enhance patient-counselor contact and rapport, through continuity of care. Students were concerned with appointment waiting times, the stigmatization of poor mental health and their capacity to seek help. They considered the portal might assist with this. Students recommended extension into all services, including urgent appointments. After viewing findings from initial student and staff groups, staff concluded that extending a patient portal into their counseling services should be prioritized. Conclusion: This research suggests that there is value in extending patient portals into mental health care, especially into low-risk services. Future research should explore opportunities to support triage and appointment-making processes for mental health services, via patient portals.

Behavioral Health Patient Engagement in Video-based Visits through a Patient Portal at an Urban Safety-Net Hospital During COVID-19: Direct Patient Outreach and Case-Control Study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Han Yue ◽  
Victoria Mail ◽  
Maura DiSalvo ◽  
Christina Borba ◽  
Joanna Piechniczek-Buczek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Behavioral Health ◽  
Patient Engagement ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Patient Portal ◽  
Patient Portals ◽  
Safety Net Hospital ◽  
Urban Safety

BACKGROUND Patient portals are a safe and secure way for patients to connect with providers for video-based telepsychiatry and help to overcome the financial and logistical barriers associated with face-to-face mental health care. Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, telepsychiatry has become increasingly important to obtaining mental health care. However, financial, and technological barriers, termed the “digital divide,” prevent some patients from accessing the technology needed to utilize telepsychiatry services. OBJECTIVE As part of an outreach project during COVID-19 to improve patient engagement with video-based visits through the hospital’s patient portal among adult behavioral health patients at an urban safety net hospital, we aimed to assess patient preference for patient portal-based video visits or telephone-only visits, and to identify the demographic variables associated with their preference. METHODS Patients in an outpatient psychiatry clinic were contacted by phone and preference for telepsychiatry by phone or video through a patient portal, as well as device preference for video-based visits, were documented. Patient demographic characteristics were collected from the electronic medical record. RESULTS One hundred and twenty-eight patients were reached by phone. Seventy-nine patients (61.7%) chose video-based visits and 69.6% of these patients preferred to access the patient portal through a smartphone. Older patients were significantly less likely to agree to video-based visits. CONCLUSIONS Among behavioral health patients at a safety-net hospital, there was a relatively low engagement with video-based visits through the hospital’s patient portal, particularly among older adults.

Electronic Health Record Patient Portals and the Blockchain Technology

2021 ◽  
pp. 218-227
Author(s):  
Jorge Tavares
Keyword(s):  
Medical Information ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Appointment Scheduling ◽  
Health Record ◽  
Patient Portal ◽  
Patient Portals ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
Electronic Health ◽  
Implementation Of Ehr ◽  
E Mail

The electronic health records (EHR) patient portals are an integrated eHealth technology that combines an EHR system and a patient portal, giving patients access to their medical records, exam results, and services, such as appointment scheduling, notification systems, and e-mail access to their physician. EHR patient portals empower patients to carry out self-management activities and facilitate communication with healthcare providers, enabling the patient and healthcare provider to access the medical information quickly. Worldwide governmental initiatives have aimed to promote the use of EHR patient portals. The implementation of EHR patient portals encompasses several challenges, including security, confidentiality concerns, and interoperability between systems. New technological approaches like blockchain could address these issues and enable a successful worldwide implementation of EHR patient portals.

scholarly journals A National Survey of Parent Perspectives on Use of Patient Portals for Their Children’s Health Care

2015 ◽  
Vol 06 (01) ◽  
pp. 110-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.E. Costello ◽  
A. Gebremariam ◽  
K.J. Dombkowski ◽  
S.J. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
National Survey ◽  
Children's Health ◽  
Children’S Health ◽  
Patient Portal ◽  
Parent Perspectives ◽  
Patient Portals ◽  
Current Utilization ◽  
Willingness To Use ◽  
Children’S Health Care

SummaryObjectives: To assess parents’ current utilization and future willingness to use patient portals to interact with their child’s health care provider.Methods: A cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative sample of US parents was conducted using an established online panel. Bivariate analyses assessed associations between current utilization and future willingness to use patient portals, parental concerns, and demographic variables.Results: Among the 1,420 parent respondents, 40% did not know whether their child’s health practice offers the option of setting up a patient portal for their child. Of the 21% of parents who reported being offered the option of setting up a patient portal for their child, 59% had done so. Among parents who had the option but chose not to set up a patient portal for their child, lack of time and low perceived need were the main reasons cited. Current use and likelihood of future use was highest for viewing lab results and immunization records. The most common concern about patient portals was the security of the child portal system.Conclusions: Current use of patient portals by parents is low. Only about half of parents currently using or likely to use a portal perceive value in using portals for certain tasks, which suggests that providers will need to continue traditional communication mechanisms to reach their entire patient population.Citation: Clark SJ, Costello LE, Gebremariam A, Dombkowski KJ. A national survey of parent perspectives on use of patient portals for children’s health care. Appl Clin Inf 2015; 6: 110–119http://dx.doi.org/10.4338/ACI-2014-10-RA-0098

scholarly journals Viewpoint: Health literacy and patient portals

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yulong Gu ◽  
Martin Orr ◽  
Jim Warren
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Patient Portal ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Patient Portals ◽  
Health Consumer ◽  
Improve Patient

Health literacy has been described as the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. Improving health literacy may serve to promote concordance with therapy, engage patients in their own health care, and improve health outcomes. Patient portal technology aims at enabling patients and families to have easy access to key information in their own medical records and to communicate with their health care providers electronically. However, there is a gap in our understanding of how portals will improve patient outcome. The authors believe patient portal technology presents an opportunity to improve patient concordance with prescribed therapy, if adequate support is provided to equip patients (and family/carers) with the knowledge needed to utilise the health information available via the portals. Research is needed to understand what a health consumer will use patient portals for and how to support a user to realise the technology?s potential.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document