barriers to patient portal use: functional impairment, health literacy, and the digital divide

by Johnny Kertzmann 3 min read

Barriers to the use of personal health records by patients ...

22 hours ago Nov 12, 2014 · Health Literacy and the Digital Divide Among Older Americans ... Previous research using the HRS has established the significance of functional impairment with regard to Internet use. 18. ... In contrast to an earlier study documenting the importance of self-assessed health literacy as a predictor of patient portal use in a sample of diabetes ... >> Go To The Portal


What are the barriers to the use of Technology in healthcare?

Nov 12, 2014 · Health Literacy and the Digital Divide Among Older Americans ... Previous research using the HRS has established the significance of functional impairment with regard to Internet use. 18. ... In contrast to an earlier study documenting the importance of self-assessed health literacy as a predictor of patient portal use in a sample of diabetes ...

Why don’t more patients use patient portals?

May 15, 2018 · Patient health literacy is an integral key to improving patient portal adoption. Just as patients want to see the features they value in way that is navigable, they also want to understand that information. If a patient has low health literacy, they are unlikely to find patient portal data useful. Some health IT developers have begun to ...

What is a health related barrier?

Nov 23, 2018 · 81.8% of the participants stated that lack of computers or phone skills is the major barrier to the use of the MyChart portal by patients while 4.5% of the participants were of the idea that difficulty in spelling was the major barrier. The data on (Table 14) is presented in the (Figure 13)below in a graphical way.

What are the 21 barriers to use of personal health records?

In adjusted analyses, those with limited health literacy had higher odds of never signing on to the patient portal (OR 1.7, 1.4 to 1.9) compared with those who did not report any health literacy limitation. Even among those with internet access, the relationship between health literacy and patient portal use persisted (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.2 to 1.8).

What is the most common barrier to the use of the patient portal?

Conclusions: The most common barriers to patient portal adoption are preference for in-person communication, not having a need for the patient portal, and feeling uncomfortable with computers, which are barriers that are modifiable and can be intervened upon.Sep 17, 2020

How is the digital divide a barrier to health?

In healthcare, the digital divide can lead to disparities in patient portal adoption, telehealth care access, or ability to utilize patient-facing practice management software, like online appointment schedulers.Mar 10, 2021

What are some barriers to health literacy?

A number of factors may influence an individual's health literacy, including living in poverty, education, race/ethnicity, age, and disability. Adults living below the poverty level have lower health literacy than adults living above the poverty level.Feb 6, 2022

Why do some patients fail to participate in the use of the patient portal?

The reason why most patients do not want to use their patient portal is because they see no value in it, they are just not interested. The portals do not properly incentivize the patient either intellectually (providing enough data to prove useful) or financially.

What is digital health literacy?

Digital health literacy, or e-Health literacy, is the use of digital literacy skills in health. It has been defined as the ability to seek, find, understand and appraise health information from electronic resources and apply such knowledge to addressing or solving a health problem[i]Jun 17, 2021

What do you know about the digital divide?

The digital divide is a term that refers to the gap between demographics and regions that have access to modern information and communications technology (ICT), and those that don't or have restricted access. This technology can include the telephone, television, personal computers and internet connectivity.

How can barriers to literacy be overcome?

Overcoming Language and Literacy Barriers. Clarify your expectations early on in the course. It's important to let students know what you expect of them and how they can succeed in your class. Make your expectations clear by explaining them and putting them into writing.

What are the barriers to health literacy in Australia?

There are a number of factors that can affect health literacy, including cognitive and intellectual disabilities, low general literacy, language barriers and cultural differences. Individual definitions of health (such as social and spiritual aspects) and health preferences can also play a role in health literacy.

Who is most at risk for health literacy?

older peopleLow health literacy is particularly common among older people (>60 years), who are also the age group most likely to be affected by chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease.

What are the disadvantages of patient portals?

Even though they should improve communication, there are also disadvantages to patient portals....Table of ContentsGetting Patients to Opt-In.Security Concerns.User Confusion.Alienation and Health Disparities.Extra Work for the Provider.Conclusion.Nov 11, 2021

How do you optimize patient portals for patient engagement and meet meaningful use requirements?

Meet Meaningful Use Requirements The portal must be engaging and user- friendly, and must support patient-centered outcomes. The portal also must be integrated into clinical encounters so the care team uses it to convey information, communicate with patients, and support self-care and decision-making as indicated.

What are the security issues associated with engaging patients through an online patient portal?

Some of these risks include: reliance on the patient portal as a sole method of patient communication; patient transmission of urgent/emergent messages via the portal; the posting of critical diagnostic results prior to provider discussions with patients; and possible security breaches resulting in HIPAA violations.Mar 1, 2021

What are the benefits of patient portal?

Patient portal benefits are numerous – they provide patients access to their health data, allow patients to securely message their providers, and in many cases allow patients to complete administrative tasks such as scheduling appointments and paying bills. Providers have recognized those benefits and nearly universally offer access to ...

Why is patient health literacy important?

Patient health literacy is an integral key to improving patient portal adoption. Just as patients want to see the features they value in way that is navigable, they also want to understand that information. If a patient has low health literacy, they are unlikely to find patient portal data useful.

How can providers promote patient adoption?

Providers can also promote patient adoption by enrolling patients in the clinic, explaining the key functions that can benefit patients in their healthcare management, and explaining how the tool will improve their patient-provider relationships.

Why is patient portal adoption at 90 percent?

Despite strong clinician support, patient portal adoption still hovers at 90 percent because patients face some barriers to meaningfully using the tool. Source: Thinkstock.

Can a patient have a low health literacy?

If a patient has low health literacy, they are unlikely to find patient portal data useful. Some health IT developers have begun to leverage natural language processing (NLP) to make patient portal information more accessible for patients with lower health literacy. On average, most patients have poor health literacy.

Is patient portal uptake limited?

However, patient portal uptake is still limited, despite provider enthusiasm and the tool’s potential benefits. A 2017 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report noted that while nearly 90 percent of providers offer access to the patient portal, less than one-third of patients have integrated the tool into their daily lives.

How many programs must address barriers to substantive use among vulnerable populations?

As Internet use becomes increasingly relevant to the provision of health care, 42 programs must address barriers to substantive use among vulnerable populations, or otherwise risk deepening the existing disparities in access and outcomes.

What is the literacy divide?

The literacy divide: health literacy and the use of an Internet-based patient portal in an integrated health system—results from the Diabetes Study of Northern California (DISTANCE).

What is low literacy?

Low health literacy is associated with significantly less use of the Internet for health information among Americans aged 65 and older. Web-based health interventions targeting older adults must address barriers to substantive use by individuals with low health literacy, or risk exacerbating the digital divide.

Is low health literacy related to internet use?

The current study fills that gap by exploring both how low health literacy is related to use of the Internet for any purpose and whether, conditional on being Internet users, those with low health literacy are less likely to use the Internet for the purpose of obtaining health or medical information.

What is the digital divide in healthcare?

The digital divide is the chasm between those who have access to technologies and the digital literacy to work them, and those who don’t. In healthcare, the digital divide can lead ...

What is digital health literacy?

Addressing digital health literacy. Data has confirmed that low digital health literacy— defined by the World Health Organization as the ability to seek, assess, and make use of health information via electronic media—perpetuates digital health inequity. In February 2021, Florida Atlantic University found that limited access to virtual health ...

What is the digital divide?

The digital divide exists outside of telehealth and racial health disparities. Poor broadband, which refers to the infrastructure that supports any digital health tool, acutely impacts individuals living in rural areas.

Why is telehealth important?

Telehealth proved an essential way to maintain chronic disease management for high-risk patients. But that adoption was not equal across different populations. Much like coronavirus case counts, there were stark racial health disparities in pandemic-era telehealth use and adoption.

Why are older black people using telehealth?

Older Black and Hispanic patients used telehealth at significantly lower rates than their White and Asian counterparts, and social determinants of health and structural inequity are likely the culprits. For example, language barriers strongly dissuaded patients from accessing telehealth, the researchers said.

How many times more likely are black people to go to the emergency department?

In September, a study in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association found that Black patients were four times more likely than White patients to access the emergency department, not telehealth, during the pandemic’s initial surge.

Is the digital divide nuanced?

In more recent years, healthcare experts have learned that the digital divide is more nuanced than that. Some older adults may be excited to utilize telehealth, while a younger, potentially low-income, patient might not have the infrastructure to support it. Population health leaders are starting to look into the digital divide ...