Articlenpj health systems2026
A scoping review of studies on secure messaging through patient portals: persistent challenges and potential solutions.
Article in npj health systems, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Secure messaging (SM) has seen increasing adoption over the past decade, prompting growing interest in understanding its impact on healthcare delivery. This review examines key themes in the existing SM research, such as usage patterns, perceived benefits, and persistent challenges, to identify research gaps and inform opportunities for sociotechnical solutions in the artificial intelligence (AI) era that could enhance patient-provider communication effectiveness. Searches were conducted in PubMed, Scopus, IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, Cochrane CENTRAL, CINAHL, and Web of Science. Following the PRISMA guideline, we identified 366 relevant peer-reviewed studies published from January 2009 to September 2025. Existing research has primarily investigated (1) the effect of SM use on clinical outcomes, (2) adoption patterns, and (3) user experiences. The literature shows that SM promotes patient engagement, care coordination, and patient-provider communication. However, significant challenges persist, including privacy concerns, limited access for vulnerable populations, patient misuse, and increased clinician burden. Educational initiatives and patient-centered design are essential for promoting appropriate and accessible use of SM. Emerging AI solutions also show promise in enhancing SM use, particularly for message triaging and drafting replies. The integration of such AI solutions must be guided by robust governance frameworks to ensure transparency, maintain trust, and align with evolving clinical, billing, and regulatory environments. Future research should include more diverse care settings and populations, prioritizing the development of equitable sociotechnical tools and interventions that can be seamlessly integrated into clinical workflows.
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.