eHealth Literacy and Patient Portal Use and Attitudes: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, patient portals have become more widely used tools of patient care delivery. However, not all individuals have equivalent access and/or ability to use patient portals.
Objective:
We aimed to evaluate the relationships between eHealth literacy (eHL) and patient portal awareness, use, and attitudes among hospitalized patients.
Methods:
Inpatients completed patient portal surveys; eHL was assessed (eHEALS scale). Multivariable logistic regression analyses adjusted for age, race, gender, and educational attainment with significance at p<0.006 (Bonferroni correction).
Results:
274名参与者中,大多数被确定为黑色(61%) and female (51%); mean age was 56.5 years. Sixty-seven percent reported more-than high school education. Twenty-eight percent had low eHL (mean 27). Low eHL was associated with lower odds of portal access awareness (p<0.001) and/or having ever used portals (p<0.001), less frequent portal use (p<0.001), less confidence in ability to utilize portals (p<0.001), not planning to use portals in the coming year (p<0.001), and less perceived usefulness of portals (p=0.001). Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more participants were aware of portals than prior (77% [203/263] vs. 64% [7/11], p>0.05) and a lower proportion reported being “very unlikely to start/continue using a portal in the coming year” (11% [30/262] vs 27% [3/11], p>0.05).
Conclusions:
Low eHL was associated with less awareness, use, and perceived usefulness of portals. Portal awareness and engagement likely increased post-COVID, though more data are needed to clarify pandemic effects. Interventions tailored for patients with low eHL could ensure greater equity in healthcare delivery through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Clinical Trial: N/A
Citation
