Blue Button, the Department of Veterans Affairs brainchild that allows patients to download copies of their electronic medical records, has proven popular among users, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.
Researchers surveyed a sample of veterans using My HealtheVet, the VA's online patient portal. Of the 18,398 survey respondents, 33 percent had used the Blue Button feature.
Of the Blue Button users, 73 percent said being able to download their records helped them better understand their health. Of the 21 percent of users that used Blue Button to share their health information with a non-VA provider, 87 percent said the other provider found the information either somewhat or very helpful.
The researchers also found the largest barrier to Blue Button use was lack of technical knowledge. The researchers suggested providing training and technical support to portal users could help increase the use of Blue Button.
The VA is not the only provider that uses Blue Button. The ONC has made a concerted effort to expand its use in the private sector, and Blue Button has been adopted by providers, health information exchanges and major retail pharmacy chains.
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