Assessing Patients’ Perceptions and Utilization of a Patient Portal in an Urban Utah Primary Care Clinic

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) project is to assess patients’ perceptions, portal utilization, as well as identify the potential facilitators and barriers of use in an urban Northern Utah primary care clinic by implementing a quantitative patient survey. Background: Patient portal use and accessing healthcare information has been shown to positively impact health outcomes. However, many organizations are seeing low adoption amongst their patients. In an urban Northern Utah primary care clinic, one physician is seeing low adoption amongst his patients. Understanding various patient perceptions and utilization to usage, facilitators, and barriers to use can help to combat low portal usage. Methods: All patients 18 years or older from Westside Tanner Clinic in Clinton, UT were invited to participate in survey during data collection. Patients from one primary care provider’s practice was focus of this project. Those that participated in this QI project were given a quantitative patient survey. The survey assessed questions regarding patient perceptions and utilization of a patient portal and outlined questions regarding facilitators and barriers to use. A goal of 30 patient surveys were targeted or a measurement period of two weeks, whichever came first. The principal investigator (PI) was able to complete data collection within two days and achieve goal of 30 surveys. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, and aggregate results and findings were presented to primary care physician and Tanner Clinic in form of an executive summary. Results: A total of 30 participants and surveys were completed during measurement period. Results were variable and found that 64% of patients currently use patient portal. Conclusions were drawn from patients’ perceptions and identified major facilitators and barriers to patient portal use. Conclusions: Implementation of patient survey with questions that were formatted to understand patient perceptions, utilization, facilitators, and barriers to patient portal use is an effective intervention and way to determine outcomes of patient portal. Future recommendations include repeating this intervention in another PDSA cycle with strategic changes such as shortening survey, expanding collection time, providing survey to larger demographic to further determine perceptions, utilization, facilitators, and barriers to patient portal usage.