Investigators are calling on healthcare providers to give seniors an “equal opportunity” to use and access their electronic health records after a study found that elders used the technology often.
“Healthcare providers may not offer patient portal (PP) access to electronic health records (EHRs) to their patients older than 85 years, due to the false impression that they do not utilize technology,” a Northwestern University research team wrote.
“It is imperative that older adults be given equal opportunity to use technology in regard to their healthcare,” they added.
The researchers found that 144 seniors and their caregivers sent more than 1,200 messages through their EHR patient portals over a six-month period. More than 500 messages were sent by patients 85 and older, while nearly 700 messages were sent by caregivers.
The findings also indicated that the seniors were more likely to initiate messages for scheduling purposes and medication refills, and caregivers initiated more messages regarding care transitions.
“Adults, aged 85 years and older, and their caregivers utilize [patient portals] tethered to EHRs. Healthcare providers should ensure inclusivity and offer access to EHRs to older adult populations, especially those aged 85 years and older.
Full findings were published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
