Parent Portal Usage Increases Preventative Care For Children

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

Parents who use online tools to access their children’s information are 2.5 times more likely to take them to well-child checks

Babies and toddlers whose parents have access to and use an EHR portal are more likely to take their children to their recommended well checks. According to a study by Kaiser Permanente, “In a study of more than 7,000 Kaiser Permanente children in Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest, researchers found that patient portal use helped busy parents manage their preventative care visits and adhere to guidelines even when their children seemed perfectly well. The researchers also found that children whose parents used the PHR in the Northwest were 1.2 times more likely to receive their recommended immunizations.”

“For busy parents, it may be difficult to prioritize or remember when to bring their young children in for well-child care visits or immunizations, particularly when they are healthy,” said Jeffrey Tom, MD, MS, FAAP, study lead author and assistant investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research. “Our study found that in two demographically and geographically distinct regions in the United States, PHRs appear to be a viable tool to help ensure children adhere to recommended preventive care.”

EHRIntelligence reports the team also found EHR use affected vaccination rates. “PHR users in Oregon were 1.2 times more likely to have their children vaccinated than non-PHR users.” EHRIntelligence notes, “The study did not take into account socioeconomic factors of the participating families, nor did it address the idea that parents who are more likely to access online info are people who are generally more concerned with keeping their children on schedule with pediatrician recommendations.

“However, researchers were generally encouraged by the correlation between patient portal use and more thorough preventative care for infants. ‘We expect that PHRs are likely to become more fully integrated into patients’ daily activities with the growing adoption of smartphones and the availability of PHR-enabled mobile applications,’ said Dr. Tom. ‘To maximize the benefits of this integration, PHRs will need to be continually improved with features that are most useful to patients.’”