This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: M1833v1 13/1/91    most recent Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Weingart, S. N. Articles by Sands, D. Z. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Weingart, S. N. Articles by Sands, D. Z.

Who Uses the Patient Internet Portal? The PatientSite Experience

Affiliations of the authors: Stoneman Center for Quality Improvement, Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (SNW, DR, ZT, DZS); Center for Patient Safety, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (SNW); ZixCorp, Dallas, TX (DZS).

Correspondence and reprints: Saul N. Weingart, MD, PhD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 44 Binney Street, Boston, MA 02115; e-mail: <saul_weingart{at}dfci.harvard.edu>.

Received for publication: 03/16/05; accepted for publication: 09/02/05.

Objective: Although the patient Internet portal is a potentially transformative technology, there is little scientific information about the demographic and clinical characteristics of portal enrollees and the features that they access.

Design: We describe two pilot studies of a comprehensive Internet portal called PatientSite. These pilots include a prospective one-year cohort study of all patients who enrolled in April 2003 and a case-control study in 2004 of enrollees and nonenrollees at two hospital-based primary care practices.

Measurements: The cohort study tracked patient enrollment and features in PatientSite that enrollees accessed, such as laboratory and radiology results, prescription renewals, appointment requests, managed care referrals, and clinical messaging. The case-control study used medical record review to compare the demographic and clinical characteristics of 100 randomly selected PatientSite enrollees and 100 nonenrollees.

Results: PatientSite use grew steadily after its introduction. New enrollees logged in most frequently in the first month, but 26% to 77% of the cohort continued to access the portal at least monthly. They most often examined laboratory and radiology results and sent clinical messages to their providers. PatientSite enrollees were younger and more affluent and had fewer medical problems than nonenrollees.

Conclusion: Expanding the use of patient portals will require an understanding of obstacles that prevent access for those who might benefit most from this technology.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				G. Demiris, L. B. Afrin, S. Speedie, K. L. Courtney, M. Sondhi, V. Vimarlund, C. Lovis, W. Goossen, and C. Lynch Patient-centered Applications: Use of Information Technology to Promote Disease Management and Wellness. A White Paper by the AMIA Knowledge in Motion Working Group J. Am. Med. Inform. Assoc., January 1, 2008; 15(1): 8 - 13. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. D. Ralston, D. Carrell, R. Reid, M. Anderson, M. Moran, and J. Hereford Patient Web Services Integrated with a Shared Medical Record: Patient Use and Satisfaction J. Am. Med. Inform. Assoc., November 1, 2007; 14(6): 798 - 806. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. C. Oeffinger and M. S. McCabe Models for Delivering Survivorship Care J. Clin. Oncol., November 10, 2006; 24(32): 5117 - 5124. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				V. K. Podichetty and E. Varley e-Talking to Patients: Connecting with the Health Care Consumer. J. Am. Med. Inform. Assoc., September 1, 2006; 13(5): 579 - 579. [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. N. Weingart, D. Z. Sands, and D. M. Rind Reply to "e-Talking to Patients: Connecting with the Health Care Consumer" J. Am. Med. Inform. Assoc., September 1, 2006; 13(5): 580 - 580. [Full Text] [PDF]