A study examining the use of electronic patient portals for patients with cancer -
There was a strong increase in the number of cancer patients in the UT Southwestern Medical Center using MyChart, the online interactive service that allows patients to view lab and radiology results, communicate with their health care providers, appointment schedule, and renew prescriptions.
over a period of six years, the number of patients actively using
"this model suggests that not only are many more patients using this technology, but also they use more intensively, "said Dr. Gerber.
These results, published in the Journal of Oncology Practice are remarkable because no previous study has systematically examined the use of electronic patient portals for patients with cancer, although the use of this technology is surging nationally, creating a new field in clinical care and the doctor-patient relationship.
increased use MyChart reflects the convenience and perceived ease of use by patients.
Darla Robinson, an Arlington resident 75 years with lung cancer, said she uses MyChart response to his appointment with Dr. Gerber and other UT Southwestern physicians. Her husband, Jim, navigates in the pages of MyChart and type in messages that it wants to send its carers.
"It is very effective to find your appointments and information about your tests after seeing the doctor," she said. "There is no problem. It is easy to use."
In 09, Congress allocated $ 27 billion to support the adoption of electronic medical records. The Department of Health and Human Services began to allocate funding in 2011. UT Southwestern began offering these services years ago.
"UT Southwestern is MyChart available to patients with cancer in 07 and, wow, do they use. Many patients use, and they frequently use, with the majority of these patients are over 60, "said Dr. Lee, noting that these patients are different from non-patient demographics, generally younger using Internet more heavily than the rest of the general population.
Dr. Lee, a medical anthropologist, said he will use the study as a basis to inform its efforts to learn more about how the doctor-patient relationship can be modified by an increase "meaningful use" of health care technologies, such as electronic medical records.
Nearly 6,500 patients
"I am struck by the immediacy of the absorption and volume of use," said Dr. Gerber. "I suspected that the volume would be high. I did not think it was going to be multiple times higher than other patient populations. "
Using MyChart was higher among cancer patients than among other other groups patients except for children with life threatening medical conditions, according to the study.
"We undertook this study because we suspected that the volume of electronic portal usage could be higher among cancer patients than in other populations, "Dr. Gerber said.
Although the study did not directly compare use patterns with non-cancer groups, the average use in current study were four to eight times greater than what was previously reported in primary care, pediatric, surgical subspecialists and other populations.
Dr. Gerber explained that the use of patients electronic gates to receive and transmit information may have particular implications in the treatment of cancer. Laboratory and radiology results may be more likely to represent important clinical outcomes such as disease progression.
"I think we are still learning how patients understand and use complex medical data, such as analytical reports, they receive electronically firsthand," he said Dr. Gerber.
Furthermore, the symptoms reported by cancer patients may be more likely to represent medical emergencies. In particular, the study found that 30 percent of requests for medical advice to patients were sent after hours clinic.
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