Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Feb 10:2016:1930-1939.
eCollection 2016.

Adoption of Secure Messaging in a Patient Portal across Pediatric Specialties

Mary Masterman  1 , Robert M Cronin  1 , Sharon E Davis  1 , Jared A Shenson  1 , Gretchen P Jackson  1
Affiliations

Adoption of Secure Messaging in a Patient Portal across Pediatric Specialties

Mary Masterman et al. AMIA Annu Symp Proc. .

Abstract

Few studies have explored adoption of patient portals for pediatric patients outside primary care or disease-specific applications. We examined use of patient-provider messaging in a patient portal across pediatric specialties during the three years after implementation of pediatric portal accounts at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. We determined the number of patient-initiated message threads and clinic visits for pediatric specialties and percentage of these outpatient interactions (i.e., message threads + clinic visits) done through messaging. Generalized estimating equations measured the likelihood of message-based interaction. During the study period, pediatric families initiated 33,503 messages and participated in 318,386 clinic visits. The number of messages sent (and messaging percentage of outpatient interaction) increased each year from 2,860 (2.7%) to 18,772 (17%). Primary care received 4,368 messages (3.4% of outpatient interactions); pediatric subspecialties, 29,135 (13.0%). Rapid growth in messaging volume over time was seen in primary care and most pediatric specialties (OR>1.0; p<0.05).

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Volumes of outpatient interaction types. Number of (A) outpatient clinic encounters, (B) message threads, (C) recipient message baskets, and (D) the messaging percentage of outpatient interaction per month. Month 0 corresponds to January 2008; month 35 corresponds to December 2010.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Distribution of users messaging on behalf of A. children and B. adolescents. Month 0 corresponds to January 2008; month 35 corresponds to December 2010.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Use of secure messaging across pediatric specialties. Number of office visits, number of message threads, and the percentage of outpatient encounters that are messages are shown for each specialty. Number of office visits and message threads are plotted on the left y-axis. % of outpatient encounters as messages is plotted on the right y-axis. Months are plotted on the x-axis from month 0 (January 2008) to month 35 (December 2010).
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Use of secure messaging across pediatric specialties. Number of office visits, number of message threads, and the percentage of outpatient encounters that are messages are shown for each specialty. Number of office visits and message threads are plotted on the left y-axis. % of outpatient encounters as messages is plotted on the right y-axis. Months are plotted on the x-axis from month 0 (January 2008) to month 35 (December 2010).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. What is a patient portal? FAQs | Providers & Professionals | HealthIT.gov. http://www.healthit.gov/providers-professionals/faqs/what-patient-portalAccessed May 1, 2015.
    1. Irizarry T, DeVito Dabbs A, Curran CR. Patient Portals and Patient Engagement: A State of the Science Review. J Med Internet Res. 2015;17(6) - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wright A, Feblowitz J, Samal L, McCoy AB, Sittig DF. The Medicare Electronic Health Record Incentive Program: Provider Performance on Core and Menu Measures. Health Serv Res. 2014;49(1pt2):325–346. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Goldzweig CL, Towfigh AA, Paige NM, et al. Washington (DC): Department of Veterans Affairs (US); 2012. Systematic Review: Secure Messaging Between Providers and Patients, and Patients’ Access to Their Own Medical Record: Evidence on Health Outcomes, Satisfaction, Efficiency and Attitudes. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK100359/Accessed May 1, 2015. - PubMed
    1. Barnett TE, Chumbler NR, Vogel WB, Beyth RJ, Qin H, Kobb R. The effectiveness of a care coordination home telehealth program for veterans with diabetes mellitus: a 2-year follow-up. Am J Manag Care. 2006;12(8):467–474. - PubMed