Patients' use of smartphone apps for health record access in 2019: A cross-sectional study

Oliver T Nguyen; Chelsea P Renfro; Jonathan Hughes; Sajeesh Kumar; Amir Alishahi Tabriz; Young-Rock Hong; Karim Hanna; Sue S Feldman; David M Schlossman; Kea Turner

doi:10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2022.104858

Patients' use of smartphone apps for health record access in 2019: A cross-sectional study

Int J Med Inform. 2022 Oct:166:104858. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2022.104858. Epub 2022 Aug 17.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA. Electronic address: oliver.nguyen@moffitt.org.
² Department of Clinical Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA.
³ Department of Clinical Medical Education, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA; Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford, Murfreesboro, TN, USA; Department of Diagnostic and Health Sciences, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA.
⁴ Department of Diagnostic and Health Sciences, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA.
⁵ Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA; Department of Oncological Sciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
⁶ Department of Health Services Research, Management, and Policy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
⁷ Department of Family Medicine, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA.
⁸ Department of Health Services Administration, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
⁹ Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA; Department of Oncological Sciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA; Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA.

PMID: 36001919
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2022.104858

Abstract

Introduction: The 21st Century Cures Act has expanded patients' access to portals through smartphone applications (apps). To date, the prevalence of patient portal smartphone apps use is unclear, especially on a national scale.

Methods: Using the 2019 Health Information National Trends Survey, we assessed factors associated with patient portal adopters accessing their records through a smartphone app. Multivariable logistic regression models were conducted and we reported results using predicted probability.

Results: Across a weighted sample of 75,324,288 respondents, 39 % reported using a smartphone app to access their health records. Adults with smartphone-only internet (40.0 %; 95 % CI: 35.4-33.3) were more likely to use a smartphone app compared to adults with home internet access (30.6 %; 95 % CI: 27.9-44.7).

Conclusions: Optimizing the implementation and delivery of patient portal content via smartphone apps may improve their reach to patients.

Keywords: Digital divide; Mobile access; Patient portal.

MeSH terms

Adult
Cross-Sectional Studies
Humans
Medical Records Systems, Computerized
Mobile Applications*
Smartphone
Surveys and Questionnaires