Patient Portal Readiness (PPR) among the Underserved: Impact of PHIM Activities, Health Information Seeking, and Patient Attitudes towards Record Keeping

Patient portals are increasingly becoming a solution for healthcare providers to provide patients with access to parts of their medical records such as lab results as well as to offer services such as customized educational materials, appointment scheduling, etc. However, the use of patient portals is still very low [1] especially among the underserved population. The objective of this study is to develop an understanding of the factors that may impact patient portal readiness among the underserved population. We consider three main factors that will impact Patient Portal Readiness (PPR): (a) PHIM (Personal Health Information Management) activities, (b) attitude towards keeping personal health record, and (c) access to and use of Internet for health information seeking. Findings from a survey of 132 patients of free clinics in northern Virginia support the study hypotheses related to the impact of the above three factors on PPR. Implications for research and practice are discussed.