Testing the Electronic Personal Health Record Acceptance Model by Nurses for Managing Their Own Health: A...

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Nursing Technology Adoption
• Digital Health

Background:

• Limited research exists on healthcare professionals' personal use of electronic personal health records (ePHRs) for self-health management.
• This study investigated nurses' personal ePHR adoption using a modified technology acceptance model.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the psychometric properties of the ePHR acceptance model.
• To determine the impact of perceived usefulness, ease of use, data privacy/security, and self-perception as health role models on nurses' ePHR use.
• To examine the moderating effects of age, chronic conditions, medication use, and provider's electronic health record (EHR) use on ePHR adoption.

Main Methods:

• An anonymous online survey was distributed to 847 registered nurses in the Maryland and Washington, DC areas, including members of nursing informatics communities.
• Multiple logistic regression analysis was employed to identify significant associations and moderating effects within the ePHR acceptance model.

Main Results:

• 47% of nurses reported using ePHRs for personal health management.
• Perceived usefulness, data privacy/security, and self-perception as health-promoting role models were significantly associated with nurses' ePHR use.
• Older nurses and those with providers using EHRs demonstrated higher ePHR adoption rates, particularly when perceiving strong data privacy and security.

Conclusions:

• Nurses using ePHRs can serve as health-promoting role models, potentially increasing public adoption of these technologies.
• Findings suggest that nurses' personal ePHR use can inform patient education, ePHR design improvements, and clinical practice.
• Healthcare organizations should consider promoting ePHR use among nurses to leverage their insights and enhance digital health initiatives.