Physicians’ Perspectives on Inpatient Portals: A Systematic Review (Preprint)

Abstract

Inpatient portals are online platforms that provide patients access to their personal health information and an opportunity to monitor their own health while in the acute care setting. They have the potential to improve quality of care and empower patients to participate in their treatment. These portals can also help families stay informed about their loved ones especially when they are unable to accompany at bedside due to social distancing restrictions as the COVID-19 pandemic lingers. Despite the potential benefits of inpatient portals, research has shown that patient adoption remains low. There is significant research on factors that influence patients’ use of portals, but less research exists on physicians’ perspectives on the use of these platforms. Outpatient portal studies have shown that provider endorsement drives patients' adoption of these systems.

The objective of this review is to better understand provider attitudes towards this technology, specifically inpatient portals. This insight can help improve patient and physician satisfaction, uptake, and the overall quality of care.

A systematic literature review, was conducted using keywords for physicians’ attitudes and perspectives towards patient portals and personal health records (PHRs). Databases included “PubMed/Medline,” “Web of Science,” and “Scopus”.

A total of 4199 articles was collected. Two reviewers performed title/abstract screening and full-text screening independently. A total of 10 articles addressing inpatient portals were included in the review. Common themes identified include communication, concerns with patient access to information on the portal, and impact on workload. Several studies also included physicians’ suggestions on portal functions.

Physicians perceived inpatient portals to be beneficial to patients and saw improvement in communication as a result. In studies where physicians had no prior experience using patient portals, concerns were expressed about privacy issues, patients’ ability to access lab results and information, and the portal’s potential impact on existing workflow. Physicians suggested that improving training on portal use and including them during the design process would encourage portal use.

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