Use of Patient Portals: Personal Health Information Management in Older Adults.
The personal health information management (PHIM) of older adults is poorly understood. We describe initial results from the SOARING (Studying Older Adults & Researching Information Needs and Goals) study at the University of Washington, a participatory design investigation of PHIM in older adults. We conducted in-depth interviews with older adults (n=71) living in a variety of residential settings. A surprising 21% of participants reported using patient portals. Another 17% of participants reported prior use or anticipated use of portals in the future. We identified preferences and needs as well as barriers and facilitators to portal use. Our findings indicate that patient portals designed to target the specific needs for older adults can suport PHIM. We offer recommendations for expanded research.
Biomedical Informatics & Medical Education.
Anne
A
Turner
Health Services, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.
Katie
K
Osterhage
Biomedical Informatics & Medical Education.
Jonathan
J
Joe
Group Health Research Institute, Seattle, WA USA.
Andrea
A
Hartzler
Health Services, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.
Lorelei
L
Lin
Biomedical Informatics & Medical Education.
George
G
Demiris
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003197:Computer Literacy; D055991:Health Records, Personal; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged