Why Parental Adoption of Child Patient Portals is Essential

Online access to a child's health practitioner for medical advice, health records, or medication refills is likely to be a practical choice for many busy families. However, according to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health, only 43% of parents have set up their child for a patient portal - an online tool that allows communication between patients and medical providers - and others may not be optimizing portal use (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Making the most of your child's patient portal

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Lack of Awareness Hinders Parental Adoption of Patient Portals for Children's Healthcare

“Patient portals offer a wide range of benefits, including decreasing unnecessary hassles for providers and patients and improving access to both the medical staff and a child’s medical information,” said Mott Poll co-director Sarah Clark, M.P.H. “Given all the conveniences portals offer, it’s surprising that over half of parents have not set one up for their child, most commonly because they don’t see a need for it. This report suggests many parents may not be aware of all the potential benefits of using a patient portal for children.” Parents with portals for their children rave about the benefits, with one-third reporting they've received advise on their child's disease, injuries, or symptoms through the platform. Almost all of these parents say they received the level of guidance they expected in a reasonable amount of time and from the person they expected.

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Barriers and Misconceptions Prevent Full Adoption of Child Patient Portals

The majority of parents who use the portal for their children also use it to schedule visits, examine test results, fill out pre-visit forms, and request prescription refills. According to the nationally representative research, which is based on 2,095 replies from parents of children 18 and under, others utilize it for telehealth visits, requests for immunization records or forms for school, sports, or camps, or for a referral.

Still, a little less than a third of parents who did not have a patient portal for their child said they saw no need for it, a quarter were unaware it was required, and fifth preferred other ways of communication. Although very few parents expressed privacy concerns or technical issues, several did not believe their provider offered a portal option for their child.

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Educating Parents and Managing Expectations Key to Maximizing Patient Portal Benefits

“Our poll suggests that pediatric health providers should continue efforts to inform families about the benefits of patient portals, and parents who haven’t set one up should take steps to learn more about portal advantages and how to establish one for their child,” Clark said.

Some clinicians have expressed worries about parents having unreasonable expectations about how quickly the physician will respond to portal enquiries, particularly in cases when the kid may require immediate medical attention, she says. However, Clark believes that providers can help to moderate these expectations. Parents who received instructions on how to use and access the site from their provider or medical staff noted additional benefits, such as time and trouble savings.

However, more than a third of parents with portals did not receive such assistance, and these parents rated their contact with their child's provider the lowest. “Instructions from the practice on how to optimize portal benefits appear to be the key to helping parents use it effectively and appropriately and increase families’ satisfaction with the experience,” Clark said.

Parents with older children should be informed that they may lose access to some of their child's health information in the future. One-third of parents who have a portal for their teen have observed changes in what they can view or do on their child's portal.

Balancing Privacy and Parental Involvement in Adolescent Patient Portals

These modifications are mandated by minor privacy laws in each state, which compel children to obtain additional confidentiality after they reach a particular age. Parents will then have access to a limited proxy account that does not display all of their child's health information.

According to Clark, these rules are intended to preserve the confidentiality of adolescent health treatment, including sexual health, mental health, and drug use services. Limitations on portal access encourage youth to disclose and seek care for health behaviors they may not want their parents to know about, such as a pregnancy test or birth control prescription.

However, 74% of parents who have a portal for their teen feel parents should retain portal access until the child reaches the age of 18. Many healthcare systems allow minors to offer portal access to their guardians, which may be appealing to these parents.

“Portal limitations are designed to protect the confidentiality of adolescent health care,” Clark said. “Before parents insist their teen give them portal access, or they attempt to get around portal limitations, parents should first consider the implications of their child being reluctant to seek confidential healthcare services. “There are also potential benefits of teens actively participating in their care and taking ownership of their health by learning to interact with providers via the portal.”

References:

1. Making the most of your child's patient portal - (https://mottpoll.org/reports/making-most-your-childs-patient-portal)

Source-Medindia