Abstract
Background Patient portals specifically designed for the inpatient setting have significant
potential to improve patient care. However, little is known about how the users of
this technology, the patients, may interact with the inpatient portals. As a result,
hospitals have limited ability to design approaches that support patient use of the
portal.
Objectives This study aims to evaluate the user experience associated with an inpatient portal.
Methods We used a Think-Aloud protocol to study user interactions with a commercially available
inpatient portal—MyChart Bedside (MCB). Study participants included 19 English-speaking
adults over the age of 18 years. In one-on-one sessions, participants narrated their
experience using the MCB application and completing eight specific tasks. Recordings
were transcribed and coded into three dimensions of the user experience: physical,
cognitive, and sociobehavioral.
Results Our analysis of the physical experience highlighted the navigational errors and technical
challenges associated with the use of MCB. We also found that issues associated with
the cognitive experience included comprehension problems that spurred anxiety and
uncertainty. Analysis of the sociobehavioral experience suggested that users have
different learning styles and preferences for learning including self-guided, handouts,
and in-person training.
Conclusion Inpatient portals may be an effective tool to improve the patient experience in the
hospital. Moreover, making this technology available to inpatients may help to foster
ongoing use of technology across the care continuum. However, deriving the benefits
from the technology requires appropriate support. We identified multiple opportunities
for hospital management to intervene. In particular, teaching patients to use the
application by making a variety of instructional materials available could help to
reduce several identified barriers to use. Additionally, hospitals should be prepared
to manage patient anxiety and increased questioning arising from the availability
of information in the inpatient portal application.
Keywords
user experience - patient portal - patient education - usability
