Shared access to adults’ patient portals: A secret shopper exercise

Wachenheim D, Hurwitz I, Dukhanin V, Wolff J, DesRoches CM. Shared access to adults’ patient portals: A secret shopper exercise. Applied Clinical Informatics. 2024

doi: https://www.thieme-connect.de/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/a-2370-2220

Facilitating shared access to the patient portal for care partners presents a convenient and vital channel for enhancing communication with the care team, catering to the needs of millions of Americans who depend on a friend, family member or other trusted individual for assistance in managing their healthcare and overall well-being. Our secret shopper exercise unveiled noteworthy variability in these experiences, finding some barriers and some facilitators to shared access. The findings underscore the imperative for cross- and intra-organizational collaboration aimed at learning from the diverse experiences of patients, care partners, clinicians, and staff, and disseminating best practices. This collaborative effort is essential to address technical, informational, and organizational obstacles that may impede the widespread and accessible adoption of shared access.
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