Impact of patient-accessible electronic medical records in rheumatology: use, satisfaction and effects on empowerment among patients

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders

Research Article

K Wiepke Drossaers-Bakker¹  Constance HC Drossaert²  Rosalie van der Vaart²  Erik Taal²  Harald E Vonkeman³  Mart AFJ van de Laar³ 

[1] Arthritis Centre Twente, Medisch Spectrum Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands;Department of Psychology, Health & Technology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, Citadel H423, 7500 AE, Enschede, The Netherlands;Department of Psychology, Health & Technology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, Citadel H423, 7500 AE, Enschede, The Netherlands;Arthritis Centre Twente, Medisch Spectrum Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands;

关键词: Electronic Medical Record;    Web portal;    Patient access;    Patient empowerment;    eHealth;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2474-15-102

 received in 2013-08-12, accepted in 2014-03-12,  发布年份 2014

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundTo measure the use, satisfaction and impact of a web portal which provides patients with rheumatoid arthritis home access to their electronic medical records (EMR).MethodsA pretest-posttest study was conducted among 360 patients. Questionnaires assessed socio-demographics, health literacy, Internet use, disease characteristics, patient-provider relationship and empowerment before and after launching a hospital-based patient web portal. To measure the impact of the portal, patients’ satisfaction with care, trust in their rheumatologist, self-efficacy in patient-provider communication, illness perceptions, and medication adherence were assessed. The post-test included questions on portal use, satisfaction, and self-perceived impact due to portal use.Results54% of respondents with Internet access had viewed their EMR. Respondents were positive about the ease of use and usefulness of the portal and reported very few problems. Age (P = .03), amount of Internet use (P = .01) and self-perceived Internet skills (P = .03) significantly predicted portal use. Of the respondents who had logged in, 44% reported feeling more involved in their treatment and 37% felt they had more knowledge about their treatment. Significant differences over time were not found on the empowerment-related instruments.ConclusionsThe current portal succeeded in offering patients access to their EMR in a usable and understandable way. While its true impact is difficult to grasp, a relevant portion of the patients felt more involved in their treatment due to the web portal. Offering patients home EMR access, therefore, appears to be a valuable addition to the care process.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© van der Vaart et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2014