Fellow: Chionye Ossai, MD | Cleveland Clinic Children’s
Article: Kelly MM, Thurber AS, Coller RJ, et al. Parent Perceptions of Real-time Access to Their Hospitalized Child's Medical Records Using an Inpatient Portal: A Qualitative Study. Hosp Pediatr. 2019; 9(4):273-280
Summary: The objective of this qualitative study was to identify why parents used a portal during hospitalization and generate suggestions for improvement. The authors conducted semi-structured in-person interviews with 14 parents whose children were hospitalized in a general medical-surgical unit in a tertiary care children’s hospital. They excluded parents who were non-English speaking and whose children were 12 years and older. Parents were selected by convenience sampling method. They transcribed audio recordings and performed data analysis using a standard inductive, qualitative content analysis approach. Parents reported using the portal an average of 2 times/day. The authors identified the following themes regarding parents’ desire for accessing information: need to monitor the child’s progress, feeling of empowerment, promoting communication, improving recall and confirming that information was accurate.
Key Strengths: This article was the first to study parents’ perspectives on inpatient portal use during their child’s hospitalization. The authors ensured accurate and systematic data analysis, utilizing three researchers trained in qualitative data methods to independently review the data. The themes they identified could assist health care organizations and vendors in optimizing inpatient portals and providing functionality that will be effectively utilized by parents.
Limitations: The study included a small sample size of parents who spoke English and whose children were older than 12 thereby limiting its generalizability. The study did not account for parents’ prior experiences with portals or computer technology. Selecting parents via convenience sampling may predispose to selection bias by interviewing parents who are already more likely to be engaged in their children’s care.
Major Takeaway: Thirteen out of fourteen parents interviewed recommended that the hospital continue to offer inpatient portal access to parents. Parents were willing to use the portal to complete admission and discharge surveys, view vitals and laboratory results and even report safety events. Parents’ suggestions were focused on improving portal functionalities such as greater advocacy for portal use by staff and having access to physician notes.
Impact on Practice: One of the benefits of Family-Centered Rounds (FCR) is improving patient/parent-provider communication. However, parents and caregivers of pediatric patients usually lack the necessary information to be able to engage in a meaningful conversation to aid shared-decision making. Inpatient portals can provide real-time information to parents and may be able to bridge the communication gap and promote patient safety. Research surrounding inpatient portals is in its infancy in the pediatric population. There is a need to further study its utility for hospitalized children and its impact on specific outcomes.
Article: Kelly MM, Thurber AS, Coller RJ, et al. Parent Perceptions of Real-time Access to Their Hospitalized Child's Medical Records Using an Inpatient Portal: A Qualitative Study. Hosp Pediatr. 2019; 9(4):273-280
Summary: The objective of this qualitative study was to identify why parents used a portal during hospitalization and generate suggestions for improvement. The authors conducted semi-structured in-person interviews with 14 parents whose children were hospitalized in a general medical-surgical unit in a tertiary care children’s hospital. They excluded parents who were non-English speaking and whose children were 12 years and older. Parents were selected by convenience sampling method. They transcribed audio recordings and performed data analysis using a standard inductive, qualitative content analysis approach. Parents reported using the portal an average of 2 times/day. The authors identified the following themes regarding parents’ desire for accessing information: need to monitor the child’s progress, feeling of empowerment, promoting communication, improving recall and confirming that information was accurate.
Key Strengths: This article was the first to study parents’ perspectives on inpatient portal use during their child’s hospitalization. The authors ensured accurate and systematic data analysis, utilizing three researchers trained in qualitative data methods to independently review the data. The themes they identified could assist health care organizations and vendors in optimizing inpatient portals and providing functionality that will be effectively utilized by parents.
Limitations: The study included a small sample size of parents who spoke English and whose children were older than 12 thereby limiting its generalizability. The study did not account for parents’ prior experiences with portals or computer technology. Selecting parents via convenience sampling may predispose to selection bias by interviewing parents who are already more likely to be engaged in their children’s care.
Major Takeaway: Thirteen out of fourteen parents interviewed recommended that the hospital continue to offer inpatient portal access to parents. Parents were willing to use the portal to complete admission and discharge surveys, view vitals and laboratory results and even report safety events. Parents’ suggestions were focused on improving portal functionalities such as greater advocacy for portal use by staff and having access to physician notes.
Impact on Practice: One of the benefits of Family-Centered Rounds (FCR) is improving patient/parent-provider communication. However, parents and caregivers of pediatric patients usually lack the necessary information to be able to engage in a meaningful conversation to aid shared-decision making. Inpatient portals can provide real-time information to parents and may be able to bridge the communication gap and promote patient safety. Research surrounding inpatient portals is in its infancy in the pediatric population. There is a need to further study its utility for hospitalized children and its impact on specific outcomes.