Patient Portal Use Among Korean Americans With and Without Chronic Disease Condition

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Health Disparities
• Patient Engagement

Background:

• Patient portals can enhance patient self-care and health outcomes.
• Limited research exists on patient portal utilization within the Korean American community, particularly among individuals with chronic conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess patient portal usage among Korean Americans aged 40 and older.
• To compare patient portal utilization between Korean Americans with and without chronic health conditions.

Main Methods:

• A survey was developed using adapted items from the Health Information National Trend Survey, translated into Korean, and validated.
• The survey was administered to 522 Korean Americans residing in the United States.
• Statistical analysis compared patient portal usage based on demographic factors, chronic condition status, and provider encouragement.

Main Results:

• Only 40.3% of Korean Americans surveyed used patient portals in the past year, with no significant difference between those with and without chronic conditions.
• Younger age, higher education, higher income, and advanced English proficiency were associated with increased patient portal use.
• Healthcare provider encouragement emerged as the strongest predictor of patient portal use (AOR=12.97).
• Awareness of core patient portal features was notably low.

Conclusions:

• Patient portal utilization remains low among Korean Americans, irrespective of chronic disease status.
• Culturally competent interventions are necessary to improve patient portal adoption and enhance self-care among this population.
• Healthcare provider encouragement is a critical factor for increasing patient portal use.