Health systems are increasingly shifting care online, but many are not assessing whether patients can use digital tools.
Patients are commonly expected to schedule appointments, refill prescriptions, review test results and attend virtual visits through online portals and apps. Yet a new study from University of California San Francisco found fewer than half of health systems ask patients whether they have the access and skills to navigate those platforms.
Researchers surveyed nearly 150 clinicians and informatics leaders from health systems nationwide in the first half of 2024. Only 44% of respondents said their organizations ask patients whether they can access or use eHealth tools. Among health systems serving uninsured patients, that figure dropped to 33%.
About 40% of respondents cited limited time and resources, as well as a lack of strategies to address identified challenges, as key barriers to screening patients for digital readiness. Even among organizations that conduct screenings, nearly half reported lacking resources to help patients gain access to or learn to use online tools.
The study was published Feb. 25 in JMIR Formative Research and was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
The authors recommend healthcare organizations train staff to screen patients for digital readiness using standardized tools. They also urge policymakers to create stronger incentives for health systems to conduct such assessments and suggest incorporating digital readiness screening into routine evaluations for social needs such as housing instability, food insecurity and domestic abuse.
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