Patient portal adoption rates: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis

Paolo Fraccaro*, Markel Vigo, Panagiotis Balatsoukas, Iain E. Buchan, Niels Peek, Sabine N. Van Der Veer

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Despite the increasing availability of online patient portals that provide access to electronic health records, little is known about their adoption by patients. We systematically reviewed the literature to investigate adoption of patient portals across studies. We searched MEDLINE and Scopus to identify relevant papers. We included 40 studies: 24 were controlled experiments, with prospective data collection in an actively recruited population; 16 were real-world experiments, with adoption being evaluated retrospectively after system deployment in clinical practice. Our meta-analysis showed an overall mean adoption rate of 52% (95% Confidence Interval [CI], 42 to 62%). Rates differed markedly between study types: controlled experiments yielded a mean adoption rate of 71% (95% CI 64 to 79%), compared to 23% (95% CI, 13 to 33%) in real-world experiments. This difference was confirmed in a meta-regression analysis of the influence of study characteristics on adoption rates. Our findings suggest that adoption rates reported in controlled studies do not reflect those in everyday clinical practice. Until we understand how to effectively increase adoption, patient portals are unlikely to consistently lead to improvements in care processes and health outcomes.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationMEDINFO 2017
Subtitle of host publicationPrecision Healthcare through Informatics - Proceedings of the 16th World Congress on Medical and Health Informatics
PublisherIOS Press
Pages79-83
Number of pages5
Volume245
ISBN (Electronic)9781614998297
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2017
Event16th World Congress of Medical and Health Informatics: Precision Healthcare through Informatics, MedInfo 2017 - Hangzhou, China
Duration: 21 Aug 201725 Aug 2017

Publication series

NameStudies in Health Technology and Informatics
Volume245
ISSN (Print)0926-9630
ISSN (Electronic)1879-8365

Conference

Conference16th World Congress of Medical and Health Informatics: Precision Healthcare through Informatics, MedInfo 2017
Country/TerritoryChina
CityHangzhou
Period21/08/1725/08/17

Keywords

  • Computers/utilization
  • Patient access to records
  • Personal health record

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