Factors Affecting the Extent of Patients’ Electronic Medical Record Use: An Empirical Study Focusing on System and Patient Characteristics

Abstract

Background Patients’ access to and use of electronic medical records (EMRs) places greater information in their hands, which helps them better comanage their health, leading to better clinical outcomes. Despite numerous benefits that promote health and well-being, patients’ acceptance and use of EMRs remains low. We study the impact of predictors that affect the use of EMR by patients to understand better the underlying causal factors for the lower use of EMR. Objective This study aims to examine the critical system (eg, performance expectancy and effort expectancy) and patient characteristics (eg, health condition, issue involvement, preventive health behaviors, and caregiving status) that influence the extent of patients’ EMR use. Methods We used secondary data collected by Health Information National Trends Survey 5 cycle 3 and performed survey data analysis using structural equation modeling technique to test our hypotheses. Structural equation modeling is a technique commonly used to measure and analyze the relationships of observed and latent variables. We also addressed common method bias to understand if there was any systematic effect on the observed correlation between the measures for the predictor and predicted variables. Results The statistically significant drivers of the extent of EMR use were performance expectancy (β=.253; P<.001), perceived behavior control (β=.236; P<.001), health knowledge (β=–.071; P=.007), caregiving status (β=.059; P=.013), issue involvement (β=.356; P<.001), chronic conditions (β=.071; P=.016), and preventive health behavior (β=.076; P=.005). The model accounted for 32.9% of the variance in the extent of EMR use. Conclusions The study found that health characteristics, such as chronic conditions and patient disposition (eg, preventive health behavior and issue involvement), directly affect the extent of EMR use. The study also revealed that issue involvement mediates the impact of preventive health behaviors and the presence of chronic conditions on the extent of patients’ EMR use.

Chronic Health Conditions and Patient Portal Use in Caregivers of People With Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias

“…Caregivers of individuals with ADRD represent a vulnerable subgroup highly susceptible to significant physical, emotional, and psychological stress (Vu et al, 2022). While patient portals are notably beneficial for individuals with chronic illnesses to manage their conditions (Agrawal et al, 2021; Hoogenbosch et al, 2018), they can also be valuable for individuals without chronic conditions. Patient portals offer a range of useful functions, including the management of personal health records, accessing high-quality health information for disease prevention, and health promotion, and even the enhancement of caregiving capabilities.…”

“…Patient portals have great potential for improving chronic disease management (Agrawal et al, 2021; Assadi & Hassanein, 2017; Dendere et al, 2019; Emont, 2011; Hoogenbosch et al, 2018; Ramirez-Zohfeld et al, 2020). However, the limited utilization of patient portals among caregivers responsible for individuals with ADRD, particularly those with lower education, advanced age, and few chronic conditions, becomes apparent due to challenges associated with digital literacy and discomfort with computers.…”

“…Patient portals offer valuable advantages such as easy access to documents, streamlined appointment scheduling, and improved patient–provider communication (Emont, 2011). Individuals with chronic illnesses particularly benefit from patient portal usage (Agrawal et al, 2021; Hoogenbosch et al, 2018), and research has focused on facilitating access to chronic illness management for both patients and providers. Patients value secure messaging, user-friendly platform design, and assistance in deciphering medical terminology (Kruse et al, 2015; Samal et al, 2011).…”

Implementation of Health Information Systems to Improve Patient Identification

“…Healthcare specialists need to process medical data and use technologies to avoid errors and for assistance in decision making [ 23 ]. HIS technologies offer improved opportunities, such as decreasing human and medical errors, improving performances and results, tracking data, coordinating health services, and achieving better clinical outcomes [ 2 , 74 ]. In addition, healthcare information systems enable timely, quality, and efficient service [ 23 , 75 ].…”

The Role of Access Type and Age Group in the Breadth of Use of Patient Portals: Observational Study

“…However, health care practitioners must meet qualifying usage thresholds set forth by the Promoting Interoperability Programs of the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services [3,7,11]. Engagement with functionalities of portals improves the quality of care delivery and patient satisfaction [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]. Thus, understanding factors that lead to patient engagement through the use of multiple portal functionalities is warranted.…”