BACKGROUND
Patient portals use has been associated with improved patient health and improved adherence to medication including statins. However, there is limited research on the association between patient portal registration and outcomes such as statin ordering adherence in the context of the National Health Service of England where patient portals have been widely offered since 2015.
OBJECTIVE
We aimed to explore statin ordering adherence among general practice patients in England.
METHODS
This study used patient-level general practice data using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) from England of patients with cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic kidney disease who are registered to the patient portal to determine if statin ordering adherence of 80% or more (based on medication possession ratio) improved after patient portal registration. We ran a multilevel logistic regression model to evaluate if adherence of 80% or more was associated with patient portal registration by comparing aggregate adherence 12 months prior to patient portal registration with adherence 12 months after patient portal registration.
RESULTS
We included 44,141 patients in the study. The study found a 16% reduction in the odds of adherence 12 months after patient portal registration (OR: 0.84, 95% CI:0.81, 0.86) compared to 12 months before registration in the fully adjusted model for patient and practice level variables.
CONCLUSIONS
This study evaluated medication adherence after patient portal registration. Registering to the portal does not explain the mechanisms involved between patient portal use and health-related outcomes like medication adherence. However, a small reduction in the likelihood of medication ordering adherence was observed after patient portal registration which indicates an association between patient portal registration and medication ordering adherence.
CLINICALTRIAL
This study was approved by CPRD’s Independent Scientific Advisory Committee (ID: 21_000411).