patient portal knowledge questionnaire nahm

Categories

Background: Patient portals (PPs) are secure websites where patients can view electronic health records, send providers eMessages, and request medication refills. PPs are freely available, but adoption by healthcare providers has been varied.

Methods

We used a descriptive, anonymous survey study design to examine Internet and PP use by patients with cancer. The University of Maryland, Baltimore Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved the study. Data were collected over a period of 10 days in spring 2017.

Results

The participant sample (N = 85) was 50.6% male, 64.3% white, 7.7% Hispanic/Latino, and well-educated (80% with some college, college degree, or graduate degree) ( Table 1 ). The mean age was 57.1 years (SD 13.4; range, 23-85 years). English was the native language for 90.2% of the participants.

Discussion

PPs provide patients with immediate access to their personal health information, facilitate connectivity with their healthcare team, and engage patients in their care in real time.

Conclusion

We found that patients with cancer in an ambulatory clinic had high interest in using PPs and a higher adoption rate of PP use compared with what has been reported in the literature.

Funding

This research was funded by a research facilitation grant through the University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Nursing, Biology and Behavior Across the Life Span Research Center of Excellence. Dr Wickersham was a faculty member at the University of Maryland at the time this study was conducted.

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge Mr Brooks DuBose for his work on this project. We gratefully thank the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Stoler Pavilion Outpatient Clinic, and the participants for their support of this project.