Patient Portal Use Among Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Patient portals are digital tools for managing health information. As healthcare shifts toward digital-centered delivery, portals increasingly shape how older adults access information and participate in their care. Yet, it remains unclear how older adults use these systems and what factors shape sustained engagement. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published between 2005 and 2025 to examine portal use among older adults. From 1,487 unique records, 52 studies were included in the systematic review and 18 in the meta-analysis. While prevalence varied significantly across diverse study contexts (I ² ≥ 97.6%), pooled estimates suggest that approximately 55% (95% CI: 0.28-0.79) of older adults had ever used a portal and 48% (95% CI: 0.31-0.67) were continuing users. Publication year significantly moderated ever use, indicating increasing uptake over time (OR/year = 1.39), but was not significantly associated with continued use.