ReviewJMIR human factors2019
Using Patient Portals to Improve Patient Outcomes: Systematic Review.
Review in JMIR human factors, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 110 papers, 5 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
110 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Patient-Centered Digital Health Records and Their Effects on Health Outcomes: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Digital Counseling Environments on Anxiety, Depression, and Adherence to Treatment Among Patients Who Are Chronically Ill: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Pooled it
- The Impact of Digital Patient Portals on Health Outcomes, System Efficiency, and Patient Attitudes: Updated Systematic Literature Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Pooled it
- Adult patient access to electronic health records.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- The State of Evidence in Patient Portals: Umbrella Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Pooled it
- Multilevel Intervention to Increase Patient Portal Use in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Who Access Health Care at Community Health Centers: Single Arm, Pre-Post Pilot Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Trial
- Framing Effects in Youth E-Cigarette Use Prevention: Individual Text Messages Versus Simulated Text Exchanges.Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education · 2023Trial
- Examining the Relationship between Health Literacy, Health Numeracy, and Patient Portal Use.Applied clinical informatics · 2022Trial
- Patient Portal Use and Care Utilization Among Hospitalized Children.Hospital pediatrics · 2026Article
- Public Reporting Systems in Health Care and the Underconceptualized Technical Substrate, a Core Information Systems Dimension: Scoping Review.JMIR medical informatics · 2026Article
- The digital divide in adoption and advanced use of electronic health records among US hospitals: rural versus urban disparities from 2008 to 2023.Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA · 2026Article
- Moving Research to Practice: A Qualitative Study Exploring Patient Perspectives of the Implementation and Sustainability of a Digital Health Intervention for Chronic Kidney Disease.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Patient and caregiver use of patient portal features in primary care: a cross-sectional survey study of Ontarians.Primary health care research & development · 2026Article
- Impacts of epic MyChart and healthy planet on clinical care measures: a scoping review protocol.BMJ open · 2026Article
- Exploring Patient Empowerment and Health System Outcomes Associated With MyHealthNB, a Provincial Personal Health Record System: Exploratory Mixed Methods Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Portal message utilization in orthopedic spine surgery: patterns, predictors, and financial implications.North American Spine Society journal · 2026Article
- Health literacy and attitudes toward clinical AI: a cross-sectional study in Istanbul.Frontiers in digital health · 2026Article
- Revolutionizing African healthcare: harnessing co-creation, patient empowerment, and future thinking for patient outcomes.Frontiers in health services · 2026Article
- Asynchronous Telehealth for Dysphagia Management: Evidence, Possibilities, and Practical Examples.Perspectives of the ASHA special interest groups · 2025Article
- Facilitators and Barriers to Implementing a Patient Portal at a Dental Hospital From the Implementers' Perspectives: Qualitative Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
50 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundWith the advent of electronic health record (EHR) systems, there is increasing attention on the EHR system with regard to its use in facilitating patients to play active roles in their care via secure patient portals. However, there is no systematic review to comprehensively address patient portal interventions and patient outcomes.
objectiveThis study aimed to synthesize evidence with regard to the characteristics and psychobehavioral and clinical outcomes of patient portal interventions.
methodsIn November 2018, we conducted searches in 3 electronic databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and a total of 24 articles met the eligibility criteria.
resultsAll but 3 studies were conducted in the United States. The types of study designs varied, and samples predominantly involved non-Hispanic white and highly educated patients with sizes ranging from 50 to 22,703. Most of the portal interventions used tailored alerts or educational resources tailored to the patient's condition. Patient portal interventions lead to improvements in a wide range of psychobehavioral outcomes, such as health knowledge, self-efficacy, decision making, medication adherence, and preventive service use. Effects of patient portal interventions on clinical outcomes including blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, and weight loss were mixed.
conclusionsPatient portal interventions were overall effective in improving a few psychological outcomes, medication adherence, and preventive service use. There was insufficient evidence to support the use of patient portals to improve clinical outcomes. Understanding the role of patient portals as an effective intervention strategy is an essential step to encourage patients to be actively engaged in their health care.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.