Increasing Digital Literacy for Acute Care at Home Patients in an Urban County Hospital: A Pilot Project

Studies have evaluated interventions to increase patient portals in vulnerable populations in an outpatient setting; however, only a few studies have evaluated interventions in an inpatient environment. We aim to implement a digital literacy intervention for hospitalized patients enrolled in Acute Care at Home. A digital literacy intervention was conducted with the assistance of a patient portal champion and a telemedicine support specialist for the enrolled Acute Care at Home patients from September to December 2023. Data measures included questionnaires and patient portal usage. In the Acute Care at Home, 118 patients were enrolled, and 28 were given the digital literacy intervention. These patients used the medication feature significantly more than their pre-Acute Care at Home patient portal activity (post: 163 vs pre: 87, P  = .006). Tailored patient portal training is a fundamental step that adds to continued usage after discharge.