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
. 2021 Jul 7;18(14):7254.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18147254.

Pattern of Use of Electronic Health Record (EHR) among the Chronically Ill: A Health Information National Trend Survey (HINTS) Analysis

Rose Calixte  1 , Sumaiya Islam  2 , Zainab Toteh Osakwe  3 , Argelis Rivera  4 , Marlene Camacho-Rivera  5
Affiliations

Pattern of Use of Electronic Health Record (EHR) among the Chronically Ill: A Health Information National Trend Survey (HINTS) Analysis

Rose Calixte et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Effective patient-provider communication is a cornerstone of patient-centered care. Patient portals provide an effective method for secure communication between patients or their proxies and their health care providers. With greater acceptability of patient portals in private practices, patients have a unique opportunity to manage their health care needs. However, studies have shown that less than 50% of patients reported accessing the electronic health record (EHR) in a 12-month period. We used HINTS 5 cycle 1 and cycle 2 to assess disparities among US residents 18 and older with any chronic condition regarding the use of EHR for secure direct messaging with providers, to request refills, to make clinical decisions, or to share medical records with another provider. The results indicate that respondents with multimorbidity are more likely to share their medical records with other providers. However, respondents who are 75 and older are less likely to share their medical records with another provider. Additionally, respondents who are 65 and older are less likely to use the EHR for secure direct messaging with their provider. Additional health care strategies and provider communication should be developed to encourage older patients with chronic conditions to leverage the use of patient portals for effective disease management.

Keywords: chronic conditions; health communication; patient portal.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

    1. Jhamb M., Cavanaugh K.L., Bian A., Chen G., Ikizler T.A., Unruh M.L., Abdel-Kader K. Disparities in electronic health record patient portal use in nephrology clinics. Clin. J. Am. Soc. Nephrol. 2015;10:2013–2022. doi: 10.2215/CJN.01640215. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rathert C., Mittler J.N., Banerjee S., McDaniel J. Patient-centered communication in the era of electronic health records: What does the evidence say? Patient Educ. Couns. 2017;100:50–64. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2016.07.031. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kim E., Rubinstein S.M., Nead K.T., Wojcieszynski A.P., Gabriel P.E., Warner J.L. The Evolving Use of Electronic Health Records (EHR) for Research. Semin. Radiat. Oncol. 2019;29:354–361. doi: 10.1016/j.semradonc.2019.05.010. - DOI - PubMed
    1. De Angelis C.D. The electronic health record: Boon or bust for good patient care? Milbank Q. 2014;92:442. doi: 10.1111/1468-0009.12072. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Tome J., Ahmed S., Fagerlin A., Powell C., Mourao M., Chen E., Harrison S., Segal J., Abdel-Kader K., Nunes J.W. Patient electronic health record portal use and patient-centered outcomes in CKD. Kidney Med. 2021;3:231–240.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.xkme.2020.11.014. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources