By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    chiropractor health benefits
    8 Health Issues That Require Professional Chiropractic Care
    April 27, 2023
    Nutritional Insight
    Building a Healthier Future: Nutritional Insight for the Modern World
    August 17, 2023
    healthcare cybersecurity
    4 Helpful Tips on How to Protect Your Medical Practice Against Cyber Attacks
    October 24, 2021
    Latest News
    Health Benefits of Taking a Vacation to Reduce Your Stress
    September 27, 2023
    First Aid Training Enhancing Workplace Health and Safety
    September 25, 2023
    Beyond the Clinic: Medical Surveys Are a Roadmap to Passive Income for Doctors
    September 23, 2023
    5 Self-Care Habits to Help You Live an A+ Life
    September 21, 2023
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Second Opinions: How Should You Choose?
    May 10, 2012
    Where Does Health Care Fit in Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 Plan?
    October 15, 2011
    healthcare literacy
    Are You Health Literate?
    July 4, 2012
    Latest News
    Job Seekers with Disabilities Should at Health Insurance Benefits
    September 12, 2023
    Reasons That Drug Prices Are Rising to Unsustainable Levels
    September 12, 2023
    How Revenue Lifecycle Management Helps Healthcare Providers to Optimize Business Operations
    September 6, 2023
    The Hidden Benefits of Practice Exams for Medical Professionals
    September 6, 2023
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Are privileged people wasting their time using healthcare portals?
Share
Sign In
Notification Show More
Aa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Aa
Search
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > Are privileged people wasting their time using healthcare portals?
eHealth

Are privileged people wasting their time using healthcare portals?

DavidEWilliams
Last updated: 2015/10/28 at 4:12 PM
DavidEWilliams
Share
3 Min Read
SHARE
Should I enter the portal or not?

Should I enter the portal or not?

Should I enter the portal or not?

Should I enter the portal or not?

More Read

6 Innovative Technologies Making Medical Diagnostics More Predictive

A Guide to Medical Billing Services for Small Practices
How to Use E-Cigarettes to Stop Smoking
Healthcare Blogging: How to Become a Trusted Medical Source
What Has the Medical Industry Learned from COVID-19?

A new study on use of electronic health portals by patients with chronic kidney disease is another example of telling people something we already know: people with lower socioeconomic status don’t adopt healthcare innovations to the same extent as those with higher status. In this case, white, young, married, commercially insured, higher income patients used the portal more.

Here’s what the lead author told NPR about the study:

“Despite the increasing availability of smartphones and other technologies to access the Internet, the adoption of e-health technologies does not appear to be equitable,” Abdel-Kader says. “As we feel we are advancing, we may actually perversely be reinforcing disparities that we had been making progress on.”

Presumably the portal users expected to receive some sort of benefit as a result of logging in. However, from what I can understand from the NPR story and study abstract, the researchers were unable to document the clinical benefit (better blood pressure control) that they were expecting to find.

So maybe a better conclusion is that relatively privileged people with the luxury of time and bandwidth on their hands tend to waste time and resources on a portal that doesn’t provide benefits, while those with lower status focus on more important and productive pursuits.

Ok, that conclusion may not be correct either, but I have real doubts about the usefulness of this research.

It’s ironic that the authors –while bemoaning barriers to access and arguing passionately for policies to address it– published their study and accompanying editorial behind a paywall in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology rather than with an open access publisher such as PLOS. I’m curious about the details of the study but not enough to pay $27 for the article and another $27 to read the editorial. I’m going to spend my $54 on something better.

Image courtesy of basketman at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
—

By healthcare business consultant David E. Williams, president of Health Business Group.

TAGGED: apps, digital tools for patients, doctor-patient engagement, medical economics

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
DavidEWilliams October 28, 2015
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Copy Link Print
Share
Previous Article Does Your Medical Practice Website Relieve Patient Anxiety?
Next Article Carestream CBCT Weight Bearing Images White Paper: 3D Weight-Bearing Imaging Using CBCT

Stay Connected

1.5k Followers Like
4.5k Followers Follow
2.8k Followers Pin
136k Subscribers Subscribe

Latest News

Andropause hormonal decline
The Benefits of TRT for Andropause and Hormonal Decline
Wellness September 28, 2023
Cancer Prevention
The Importance of Lipoma Examination in Cancer Prevention
Cancer September 28, 2023
dental implant
Cost Analysis of Dental Implants in Australia
Dental health September 28, 2023
View,Of,Niagara,Falls,In,Autumn
Health Benefits of Taking a Vacation to Reduce Your Stress
Health September 27, 2023

You Might also Like

menopause and depression
Mental Health

How Menopause and Depression are Connected

September 13, 2023
healthcare video marketing
MarketingSocial Media

How to Maintain a Successful YouTube Channel as a Healthcare Organization: Advantages of Video Marketing for your Medical Practice

November 9, 2022
Electronic Health Records
BusinesseHealthHospital AdministrationMedical Records

Top Benefits of Electronic Health Records for Psychiatrists and Psychologists

August 15, 2022
tips to design a health app
eHealth

How To Improve Patient Access Metrics

April 5, 2022
Subscribe

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

Follow US
© 2008-2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?