Social disparities in internet patient portal use in diabetes: evidence that the digital divide extends beyond access

Type Journal Article Author Urmimala Sarkar Author Andrew J. Karter Author Jennifer Y. Liu Author Nancy E. Adler Author Robert Nguyen Author Andrea López Author Dean Schillinger URL http://jamia.oxfordjournals.org/content/18/3/318 Rights © 2011, Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions. Volume 18 Issue 3 Pages 318-321 Publication Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association ISSN 1067-5027, 1527-974X Date 2011/05/01 Extra PMID: 21262921 DOI 10.1136/jamia.2010.006015 Accessed 2016-08-23 19:14:02 Library Catalog jamia.oxfordjournals.org Language en Abstract The authors investigated use of the internet-based patient portal, kp.org, among a well-characterized population of adults with diabetes in Northern California. Among 14 102 diverse patients, 5671 (40%) requested a password for the patient portal. Of these, 4311 (76%) activated their accounts, and 3922 (69%), logged on to the patient portal one or more times; 2990 (53%) participants viewed laboratory results, 2132 (38%) requested medication refills, 2093 (37%) sent email messages, and 835 (15%) made medical appointments. After adjustment for age, gender, race/ethnicity, immigration status, educational attainment, and employment status, compared to non-Hispanic Caucasians, African–Americans and Latinos had higher odds of never logging on (OR 2.6 (2.3 to 2.9); OR 2.3 (1.9 to 2.6)), as did those without an educational degree (OR compared to college graduates, 2.3 (1.9 to 2.7)). Those most at risk for poor diabetes outcomes may fall further behind as health systems increasingly rely on the internet and limit current modes of access and communication. Short Title Social disparities in internet patient portal use in diabetes