1. Differential Effects of Outpatient Portal User Status on Inpatient Portal Use: Observational Study
- Author
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Naleef Fareed, Pallavi Jonnalagadda, Sarah R. MacEwan, Seth Scarborough, Gennaro Di Tosto, Timothy R. Huerta, and Ann Scheck McAlearney
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,020205 medical informatics ,Health information technology ,patient portals ,Computer applications to medicine. Medical informatics ,R858-859.7 ,Health Informatics ,02 engineering and technology ,Rate ratio ,technology experience ,Odds ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,technology use ,technology acceptance ,Outpatients ,0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering ,medicine ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Academic Medical Centers ,Inpatients ,Original Paper ,mobile phone ,business.industry ,Patient portal ,Odds ratio ,Differential effects ,health information technology ,Hospitalization ,log files ,Emergency medicine ,Observational study ,Health information ,Public aspects of medicine ,RA1-1270 ,business - Abstract
Background The decision to use patient portals can be influenced by multiple factors, including individuals’ perceptions of the tool, which are based on both their personal skills and experiences. Prior experience with one type of portal may make individuals more comfortable with using newer portal technologies. Experienced outpatient portal users in particular may have confidence in their ability to use inpatient portals that have similar functionality. In practice, the use of both outpatient and inpatient portal technologies can provide patients with continuity of access to their health information across care settings, but the influence of one type of portal use on the use of other portals has not been studied. Objective This study aims to understand how patients’ use of an inpatient portal is influenced by outpatient portal use. Methods This study included patients from an academic medical center who were provided access to an inpatient portal during their hospital stays between 2016 and 2018 (N=1571). We analyzed inpatient portal log files to investigate how inpatient portal use varied by using 3 categories of outpatient portal users: prior users, new users, and nonusers. Results Compared with prior users (695/1571, 44.24%) of an outpatient portal, new users (214/1571, 13.62%) had higher use of a select set of inpatient portal functions (messaging function: incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.33, 95% CI 1.06-1.67; function that provides access to the outpatient portal through the inpatient portal: IRR 1.34, 95% CI 1.13-1.58). Nonusers (662/1571, 42.14%), compared with prior users, had lower overall inpatient portal use (all active functions: IRR 0.68, 95% CI 0.60-0.78) and lower use of specific functions, which included the function to review vitals and laboratory results (IRR 0.51, 95% CI 0.36-0.73) and the function to access the outpatient portal (IRR 0.53, 95% CI 0.45-0.62). In comparison with prior users, nonusers also had lower odds of being comprehensive users (defined as using 8 or more unique portal functions; odds ratio [OR] 0.57, 95% CI 0.45-0.73) or composite users (defined as comprehensive users who initiated a 75th or greater percentile of portal sessions) of the inpatient portal (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.29-0.60). Conclusions Patients’ use of an inpatient portal during their hospital stay appeared to be influenced by a combination of factors, including prior outpatient portal use. For new users, hospitalization itself, a major event that can motivate behavioral changes, may have influenced portal use. In contrast, nonusers might have lower self-efficacy in their ability to use technology to manage their health, contributing to their lower portal use. Understanding the relationship between the use of outpatient and inpatient portals can help direct targeted implementation strategies that encourage individuals to use these tools to better manage their health across care settings.
- Published
- 2021