Patient-provider internet portals--patient outcomes and use.

An important emerging information technology tool is the electronic health record with a patient-provider Internet portal. Patient-provider Internet portals offer a venue for providing patient access to personal health data. In this study, we conducted a cross-sectional secondary data analysis to describe the types of diabetes patients who utilize the patient-provider Internet portal and examine any preliminary differences in patient outcomes. Data from this study suggest that a significant portion of patients (29.7%) with diabetes utilize the portal. Clinical outcome results indicated that portal use was not a significant predictor of low-density lipoprotein and total cholesterol levels. However, portal use was a statistically significant predictor of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (P < .001). As patient-provider Internet portals are increasingly implemented and utilized across the nation, both clinical and nonclinical impacts must be evaluated. Patient-provider Internet portals have the ability to provide patients with the opportunity tobe increasingly involved in their own care,enhance patient-provider communication, and potentially reduce inequity, improve clinical outcomes, and increase access to care.