scholarly journals Examining How Internet Users Trust and Access Electronic Health Record Patient Portals: Survey Study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rong Yin ◽  
Katherine Law ◽  
David Neyens

BACKGROUND Electronic health record (EHR) patient portals are designed to provide medical health records to patients. Using an EHR portal is expected to contribute to positive health outcomes and facilitate patient-provider communication. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to examine how portal users report using their portals and the factors associated with obtaining health information from the internet. We also examined the desired portal features, factors impacting users’ trust in portals, and barriers to using portals. METHODS An internet-based survey study was conducted using Amazon Mechanical Turk. All the participants were adults in the United States who used patient portals. The survey included questions about how the participants used their portals, what factors acted as barriers to using their portals, and how they used and how much they trusted other web-based health information sources as well as their portals. A logistic regression model was used to examine the factors influencing the participants’ trust in their portals. Additionally, the desired features and design characteristics were identified to support the design of future portals. RESULTS A total of 394 participants completed the survey. Most of the participants were less than 35 years old (212/394, 53.8%), with 36.3% (143/394) aged between 35 and 55 years, and 9.9% (39/394) aged above 55 years. Women accounted for 48.5% (191/394) of the survey participants. More than 78% (307/394) of the participants reported using portals at least monthly. The most common portal features used were viewing lab results, making appointments, and paying bills. Participants reported some barriers to portal use including data security and limited access to the internet. The results of a logistic regression model used to predict the trust in their portals suggest that those comfortable using their portals (odds ratio [OR] 7.97, 95% CI 1.11-57.32) thought that their portals were easy to use (OR 7.4, 95% CI 1.12-48.84), and frequent internet users (OR 43.72, 95% CI 1.83-1046.43) were more likely to trust their portals. Participants reporting that the portals were important in managing their health (OR 28.13, 95% CI 5.31-148.85) and that their portals were a valuable part of their health care (OR 6.75, 95% CI 1.51-30.11) were also more likely to trust their portals. CONCLUSIONS There are several factors that impact the trust of EHR patient portal users in their portals. Designing easily usable portals and considering these factors may be the most effective approach to improving trust in patient portals. The desired features and usability of portals are critical factors that contribute to users’ trust in EHR portals. CLINICALTRIAL

10.2196/28501 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. e28501
Author(s):  
Rong Yin ◽  
Katherine Law ◽  
David Neyens

Background Electronic health record (EHR) patient portals are designed to provide medical health records to patients. Using an EHR portal is expected to contribute to positive health outcomes and facilitate patient-provider communication. Objective Our objective was to examine how portal users report using their portals and the factors associated with obtaining health information from the internet. We also examined the desired portal features, factors impacting users’ trust in portals, and barriers to using portals. Methods An internet-based survey study was conducted using Amazon Mechanical Turk. All the participants were adults in the United States who used patient portals. The survey included questions about how the participants used their portals, what factors acted as barriers to using their portals, and how they used and how much they trusted other web-based health information sources as well as their portals. A logistic regression model was used to examine the factors influencing the participants’ trust in their portals. Additionally, the desired features and design characteristics were identified to support the design of future portals. Results A total of 394 participants completed the survey. Most of the participants were less than 35 years old (212/394, 53.8%), with 36.3% (143/394) aged between 35 and 55 years, and 9.9% (39/394) aged above 55 years. Women accounted for 48.5% (191/394) of the survey participants. More than 78% (307/394) of the participants reported using portals at least monthly. The most common portal features used were viewing lab results, making appointments, and paying bills. Participants reported some barriers to portal use including data security and limited access to the internet. The results of a logistic regression model used to predict the trust in their portals suggest that those comfortable using their portals (odds ratio [OR] 7.97, 95% CI 1.11-57.32) thought that their portals were easy to use (OR 7.4, 95% CI 1.12-48.84), and frequent internet users (OR 43.72, 95% CI 1.83-1046.43) were more likely to trust their portals. Participants reporting that the portals were important in managing their health (OR 28.13, 95% CI 5.31-148.85) and that their portals were a valuable part of their health care (OR 6.75, 95% CI 1.51-30.11) were also more likely to trust their portals. Conclusions There are several factors that impact the trust of EHR patient portal users in their portals. Designing easily usable portals and considering these factors may be the most effective approach to improving trust in patient portals. The desired features and usability of portals are critical factors that contribute to users’ trust in EHR portals.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Filip Raciborski ◽  
Anna Kłak ◽  
Bolesław Samoliński

BACKGROUND The popularisation of Internet access has made it one of the basic sources of information (in this article, the term “Internet” is understood as different kinds of: websites, blogs, social networking sites, such as: Facebook, Twitter, etc.; text messages, including: email, skype, other instant messengers; discussion forums). This relates also to health and its correlates. OBJECTIVE The main objective of the study was to evaluate the scale of the phenomenon of using the Internet to look for health information in Poland. The aim of the study was also to evaluate the influence of information about health published in the network on the behaviour of internet users. METHODS A questionnaire-based survey (face-to-face interview) was carried out among a representative group of 1000 inhabitants of Poland aged 15 years and older. RESULTS Among the 1000 respondents surveyed in this study, 670 (67%) declared using the Internet, more than half of which (53.7%) reported seeking, among others, health information. The most commonly sought information included: diet and healthy eating (33.3%), a particular medication or dietary supplement (its effect, dosage, side effects) (28.9%), reviews of doctors (26.7%), and how other people coped with similar health problems (25.3%). More than 53% of Internet health information seekers were driven by curiosity, 46.4% by the ease and speed of finding information, 32.5% by the opportunity of finding a lot of independent reviews in one place, and 29.7% by no extra costs. CONCLUSIONS The importance of the Internet as a source of information about health is constantly increasing. Our study presents that in Poland, women, younger, well-educated, living in big cities, especially often look for health information on the web. However most people have limited trust in the data derived from that source. The influence of information about health published in the network on people's behaviour could be less than is commonly believed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
J Matos ◽  
C Matias Dias ◽  
A Félix

Abstract Background Studies on the impact of patients with multimorbidity in the absence of work indicate that the number and type of chronic diseases may increase absenteeism and that the risk of absence from work is higher in people with two or more chronic diseases. This study analyzed the association between multimorbidity and greater frequency and duration of work absence in the portuguese population between the ages of 25 and 65 during 2015. Methods This is an epidemiological, observational, cross-sectional study with an analytical component that has its source of information from the 1st National Health Examination Survey. The study analyzed univariate, bivariate and multivariate variables under study. A multivariate logistic regression model was constructed. Results The prevalence of absenteeism was 55,1%. Education showed an association with absence of work (p = 0,0157), as well as professional activity (p = 0,0086). It wasn't possible to verify association between the presence of chronic diseases (p = 0,9358) or the presence of multimorbidity (p = 0,4309) with absence of work. The prevalence of multimorbidity was 31,8%. There was association between age (p < 0,0001), education (p < 0,001) and yield (p = 0,0009) and multimorbidity. There is no increase in the number of days of absence from work due to the increase in the number of chronic diseases. In the optimized logistic regression model the only variables that demonstrated association with the variable labor absence were age (p = 0,0391) and education (0,0089). Conclusions The scientific evidence generated will contribute to the current discussion on the need for the health and social security system to develop policies to patients with multimorbidity. Key messages The prevalence of absenteeism and multimorbidity in Portugal was respectively 55,1% and 31,8%. In the optimized model age and education demonstrated association with the variable labor absence.


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