ArticleHuman factors2015
The usability of electronic personal health record systems for an underserved adult population.
Article in Human factors, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
47 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 103 citations in OpenAlex.
- Physiotherapist-led, exercise-based telerehabilitation for older adults improves patient and health service outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Age and ageing · 2023Pooled it
- Using Electronic Health Record Portals to Improve Patient Engagement: Research Priorities and Best Practices.Annals of internal medicine · 2020Pooled it
- Interventions to increase patient portal use in vulnerable populations: a systematic review.Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA · 2019Pooled it
- Personal Health Records: A Systematic Literature Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2017Pooled it
- The Effect of European Health Literacy-Based e-Pulse Education and e-Pulse Instructional Materials on Health Literacy Levels in Adults Aged 45-64: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Research in nursing & health · 2025Trial
- Baseline Characteristics and Technology Training of Underserved Adults With Type 2 Diabetes in the Mobile Diabetes Detective (MoDD) Randomized Controlled Trial.The Diabetes educator · 2017Trial
- A Randomized Trial to Train Vulnerable Primary Care Patients to Use a Patient Portal.Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine : JABFMTrial
- Patient Portal Use Among Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Proceedings. IEEE International Conference on Healthcare Informatics · 2026Article
- People With Haemophilia as Data Coordinators: An Analysis of the Ethics and Feasibility of Self-Management With Personal Health Records.Haemophilia : the official journal of the World Federation of Hemophilia · 2025Article
- Impact of Clinical Trial Virtualization on Recruitment in Underserved Communities for a Type 2 Diabetes mHealth Intervention.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2025Article
- Enhancing patient engagement and understanding: is providing direct access to laboratory results through patient portals adequate?JAMIA open · 2025Article
- Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices about Electronic Personal Health Records: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Region of Northern Italy.Journal of medical systems · 2024Article
- Regular measurement is essential but insufficient to improve quality of healthcare.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2023Article
- An empirical investigation into the preferences of the elderly for user interface design in personal electronic health record systems.Frontiers in digital health · 2023Article
- A Digital Platform to Support HIV Case Management for Youth and Young Adults: Mixed Methods Feasibility Study.JMIR formative research · 2022Article
- The Factors Associated With Nonuse of and Dissatisfaction With the National Patient Portal in Finland in the Era of COVID-19: Population-Based Cross-sectional Survey.JMIR medical informatics · 2022Article
- Telehealth experiences of providers and patients who use augmentative and alternative communication.Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA · 2022Article
- Patient Portals: Useful for Whom and for What? A Cross-Sectional Analysis of National Survey Data.Applied clinical informatics · 2021Article
- Impact of an Educational Comic to Enhance Patient-Physician-Electronic Health Record Engagement: Prospective Observational Study.JMIR human factors · 2021Article
- Effects of User Characteristics on the Usability of a Home-Connected Medical Device (Smart Angel) for Ambulatory Monitoring: Usability Study.JMIR human factors · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveThe goals of this study were to identify the demands associated with using electronic personal health records (PHRs) and to evaluate the ability of adults of lower socioeconomic status and low health literacy to use PHRs to perform health management activities.
backgroundPHRs are proliferating in clinical practices and health care organizations. These systems offer the potential of increasing the active involvement of patients in health self-management. However, little is known about the actual usability of these tools for health consumers.
methodWe used task analysis and health literacy load analysis to identify the cognitive and literacy demands inherent in the use of PHRs and evaluated the usability of three currently available PHR systems with a sample of 54 adults. Participants used the systems to perform tasks related to medication management, interpretation of lab/test results, and health maintenance. Data were also gathered on the participants' perception of the potential value of using a PHR.
resultsThe results indicated that a majority of the participants had difficulty completing the tasks and needed assistance. There was some variability according to task and PHR system. However, most participants perceived the use of PHRs as valuable.
conclusionsAlthough considered a valuable tool by consumers, the use of PHR systems may be challenging for many people. Strategies are needed to enhance the usability of these systems, especially for people with low literacy, low health literacy, or limited technology skills. APPLICATION: The data from this study have implications for the design of PHRs.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.