Uptake and user characteristics of MyChart within a Canadian community hospital with a diverse patient population: A comparative study.

Abstract

Patient portals offer a convenient way to access health information and increase patient participation in healthcare. To promote broad accessibility and impact of portals, it is essential to understand uptake patterns across patient populations. This study described the characteristics of patient users of a portal called MyChart and compared them to non-users at a large community hospital. We descriptively analyzed (frequency, counts) patient health records to characterize MyChart users and their usage patterns during the first year of its launch from September 11, 2023, to September 112024. We summarized user demographics along with information about how they activated accounts, accessed MyChart, and utilized its features. Using chi-square and t-tests, we compared MyChart user demographics to non-users who visited the hospital in the same time period. A total of 61,306 patients activated MyChart during the first year it was available. On average, MyChart users were 53 years old, 62% female, 64% predicted to have White ethnicity, and preferred to receive healthcare in English (88%). MyChart users tended to be regular healthcare users, with an average of five annual visits prior to creating an account and logged onto the portal on average five times a month. MyChart users were slightly younger than non-users (an average age of 53.5 vs. 56.9 years) and visited the hospital more often (an average of 5.7 vs. 3.1 annual visits). Many patients activated MyChart during the first year of launch, and users closely resembled the broader patient population. To enhance adoption and potential benefits of patient portals, targeted interventions such as accessible educational information tailored to diverse patient groups (e.g., older adults, different ethnicities) could increase their usage.