Improving Acceptance of Inpatient Portals: Patients' and Care Team Members' Perspectives

Inpatient portals are gaining interest as a means to increase patient-centered care during hospitalization. However, acceptance of a new technology such as the inpatient portal relies on perceptions of both its usefulness and ease of use. These factors have not been studied in the context of inpatient portal implementation. We interviewed patients (n = 123) and care team members (n = 447) about their experiences using an inpatient portal that had been implemented across a large, academic medical center. Interviews lasted 5-15 min, were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and then analyzed using a combination of deductive and inductive methods. Collectively, interviewees reported that the inpatient portal was a useful tool as it improved patients' access to information, enhanced communication, facilitated education, and appeared to promote patients' sense of control while in the hospital. Most interviewees also found the technology easy to use. However, there were concerns that the portal was not easy to use for those less experienced with technology. Interviewees identified the need to emphasize the value of the technology to both patients and care team members and the need to provide additional training to support portal use, as ways to promote acceptance of the tool. Inpatient portals can improve patient-centered care, but such improvements require acceptance of the tool by both patients and care team members. Our findings about the usefulness and ease of use of an inpatient portal can inform future efforts to improve the implementation and acceptance of this new technology.