Title: Barriers to accessing online medical records: an analysis by priority condition status

Authors: Surma Mukhopadhyay; Ramsankar Basak; Timothy Jay Carney; Darrell Carpenter

Addresses: Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA ' Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 100 Manning Dr., Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7512, USA ' Department of Health Policy and Management, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill McGavran-Greenberg Hall Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7411, USA ' College of Business and Economics, Longwood University Hiner G13-A Farmville, VA 23909, USA

Abstract: The objectives were to assess: 1) offering of access to online medical records (OMR) to patients by their providers; 2) the reasons for patients' non-use of OMR. Using Health Information National Trends Survey 5, Cycle 1 and 2 data, the study included 3,948 adults who had internet-enabled devices and recent provider visits. 39% were not offered access and 1,612 were non-users, many with ≥ 2 priority conditions (e.g., diabetes, cancer). Demographic attributes were significant predictors of access offering. Of priority condition non-users, 77.6% cited preferring speaking directly, 54.2% no need, 24.3% privacy concerns, and 23.9% lack of any OMR. Reporting of no need was significantly associated with education, race, and number of diseases while speaking directly with residence and anxiety/depression. Many, including those with priority diseases and/or regular sources of care, expressed multiple reasons for non-use displaying interrelationships among reasons. Addressing underlying barriers can help reduce usage disparities and improve outcomes.

Keywords: online medical records; patient portal; reasons for no use; chronic disease; national survey; disparity; health policy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEH.2022.126582

International Journal of Electronic Healthcare, 2022 Vol.12 No.4, pp.364 - 380

Received: 11 Dec 2021
Accepted: 18 May 2022
Published online: 28 Oct 2022 *

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