Messaging to your doctors: understanding patient-provider communications via a portal system

The patient portal is a relatively new healthcare information technology that enables patients more convenient access to their healthcare information and allows them to send messages to their doctors. Our study examines the themes discussed in these messages and the different ways in which patients communicate with their providers via a portal employed in a large medical center. We also explore the differences between the patient portal and more traditional communication media, and investigated the advantages and potential problems of the portal system. Our findings show a wide variety of topics discussed in the communication messages (such as medication, appointments, laboratory tests, etc.) and how patients provide information, consult with their providers, and express psychosocial and emotional needs. We argue that the patient portal improves the accuracy of communication and could facilitate illness management for patients, especially over a longer term. However, messaging through the patient portal is not popular among patients and the simultaneous use of multiple communication media may create information gaps. More research is needed to better elucidate barriers to the use of patient portals and the optimal methods of communication and information integration given different contexts.