Patients Face Disparities in Access to Health Information

Although patients have the right to access their health-related information, many do not or are unable to take advantage of this resource. Health IT solutions have been developed to streamline these processes, but disparities still remain. Many patients are unaware of how to access their healthcare portal because their provider did not inform them of it, in particular, Black and Hispanic patients.

According to Chelsea Richwine, “Overall, we found that in 2019 and 2020, Black and Hispanic individuals were offered and accessed patient portals at significantly lower rates than white individuals. Even after accounting for other factors that may influence patient engagement – such as an individual’s age, gender, education, or health status – racial and ethnic disparities in patient portal offers and access persisted:  Black and Hispanic individuals were significantly less likely to report being offered and subsequently accessing their portal compared to their white counterparts. However, when we examined access and use among those who reported being offered a portal, disparities largely diminished – which suggests differences in access were likely driven by disparities in being offered a portal.”

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(Source: Health IT Buzz, January 5^th, 2023)