Patients' Attitudes Toward an Online Patient Portal for Communicating Laboratory Test Results: Real-World Study Using the eHealth Impact Questionnaire

Esther Talboom-Kamp; Rosian Tossaint-Schoenmakers; Annelijn Goedhart; Anke Versluis; Marise Kasteleyn

doi:10.2196/17060

Patients' Attitudes Toward an Online Patient Portal for Communicating Laboratory Test Results: Real-World Study Using the eHealth Impact Questionnaire

JMIR Form Res. 2020 Mar 4;4(3):e17060. doi: 10.2196/17060.

Authors

Esther Talboom-Kamp^{1

2

3}, Rosian Tossaint-Schoenmakers^{1

3}, Annelijn Goedhart¹, Anke Versluis^{1

2

3}, Marise Kasteleyn^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Saltro Diagnostic Centre, Utrecht, Netherlands.
² Public Health and Primary Care Department, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, Netherlands.
³ National eHealth Living Lab, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, Netherlands.

PMID: 32024632
PMCID: PMC7081138
DOI: 10.2196/17060

Abstract

Background: Communicating laboratory test results online has several advantages for patients, such as improving clinical efficiency and accessibility, thereby helping patients to take an active role in managing their health.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the experiences and self-efficacy of patients using an online patient portal that communicates laboratory test results.

Methods: We used the online-administered eHealth Impact Questionnaire to explore patients' attitudes toward the portal. Patients visiting the portal were asked to complete the questionnaire. The subscale Information and Presentation assessed the usability of the patient portal and the subscale Motivation and Confidence to Act assessed self-efficacy to determine whether patients were motivated to act on the presented information. We used a cutoff score of 65 or greater to determine whether the portal was rated positively.

Results: The questionnaire was completed by 354 of 13,907 patients who viewed their laboratory results in the patient portal, with a response rate of 2.55%. The mean Information and Presentation score was 67.70 (SD 13.12) and the mean Motivation and Confidence to Act score was 63.59 (SD 16.22). We found a positive, significant correlation between the 2 subscales (r₃₄₅=.77, P<.001).

Conclusions: Patients participating in the study rated the usability of the portal positively. However, the portal only slightly helped patients to take an active role in managing their own health. The low response rate precludes generalization of the results. Future research should examine avenues to further increase patients' self-efficacy and study whether portal acceptability differs in subgroups. Patient portals conveying laboratory test results in understandable language seem usable and potentially provide a viable way to help patients take a more active role in managing their own health.

Keywords: attitude to health; eHIQ; eHealth Impact Questionnaire; laboratory test results; patient portals; self efficacy; telemedicine; usability.

©Esther Talboom-Kamp, Rosian Tossaint-Schoenmakers, Annelijn Goedhart, Anke Versluis, Marise Kasteleyn. Originally published in JMIR Formative Research (http://formative.jmir.org), 04.03.2020.