Ahmed Naheed, Sanghavi Kavya, Mathur Shrey, McCullers Asli
NYU Grossman School of Medicine, 180 Madison Avenue, Eighth Floor, New York, NY 10016, United States.
MedStar Health Research Institute, United States.
Int J Med Inform. 2023 Oct;178:105204. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2023.105204. Epub 2023 Aug 28.
The primary objective of this study was to examine patient portal usage from pre- to post-onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to determine what impact the pandemic had on portal usage by patient sub-populations. The second study objective was to assess differences in portal usage by chronic disorders from pre- to post-onset of the pandemic.
Patient portal data were extracted and analyzed from a non-profit healthcare system in the Mid-Atlantic region. A total of 153,628 unique patients with patient portal account were included in this study. We assessed patient portal usage from pre-onset (March 2019-February 2020) to post-onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020-February 2021). We examined usage by patient sub-populations (age, sex, race, ethnicity), comorbid conditions, and health insurance type.
Differences were seen in specific patient portal actions. Increases were seen in immunization views (0.43, 95% CI: 0.39, 0.46) and health record views (0.43, 95% CI: 0.40, 0.46) from post-onset compared to pre-onset. A decrease was noted in prescription renewal (medication) views (-0.07, 95% CI -0.09, -0.05) from pre- to post-onset There was a decrease in both immunization views and health record views among Black patients (-0.07, 95% CI: -0.11, -0.03) in comparison to White patients, but an increase in prescription renewal (medication) views (0.07, 95%CI 0.04, 0.09) amongst Black patients compared to White patients.
Patient portals are integral to patient care, allowing patients to actively engage in their care and communicate with their healthcare team about ongoing health needs. However, prior disparities in patient portal access have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and solutions to address these disparities are urgently needed.
本研究的主要目的是考察从新冠疫情爆发前到爆发后患者门户网站的使用情况，以确定疫情对不同患者亚群体使用门户网站产生了何种影响。第二个研究目标是评估疫情爆发前到爆发后不同慢性疾病患者在门户网站使用上的差异。
从大西洋中部地区的一个非营利性医疗系统中提取并分析患者门户网站数据。本研究共纳入了153,628名拥有患者门户网站账户的独特患者。我们评估了从新冠疫情爆发前（2019年3月至2020年2月）到爆发后（2020年3月至2021年2月）患者对门户网站的使用情况。我们考察了不同患者亚群体（年龄、性别、种族、族裔）、合并症情况以及健康保险类型的使用情况。
在特定的患者门户网站操作方面存在差异。与疫情爆发前相比，疫情爆发后免疫接种查看量（0.43，95%置信区间：0.39，0.46）和健康记录查看量（0.43，95%置信区间：0.40，0.46）有所增加。疫情爆发前到爆发后，处方续签（药物）查看量下降（-0.07，95%置信区间-0.09，-0.05）。与白人患者相比，黑人患者的免疫接种查看量和健康记录查看量均有所下降（-0.07，95%置信区间：-0.11，-0.03），但黑人患者的处方续签（药物）查看量相比白人患者有所增加（0.07，95%置信区间0.04，0.09）。
患者门户网站是患者护理的重要组成部分，使患者能够积极参与自身护理，并就持续的健康需求与医疗团队进行沟通。然而，新冠疫情加剧了此前患者在使用门户网站方面的差异，迫切需要解决这些差异的方案。
