Journal of medical Internet research
The Role of Measurement in Identifying High-Intensity Secure Message Senders Among Older Adults: Observational Study
By Wec A, Seale Reiff J, Gleason KT and 3 others.
Abstract
Background
Use of secure messaging within the patient portal has grown rapidly over recent years, yet clinical workflows, staffing models, and billing practices have generally not been comprehensively adapted to support this increasing volume of messages. Little is known about the characteristics of patients who are high-volume message senders, and we lack a nuanced understanding of patient messaging intensity beyond measures accounting for sheer volume, limiting health system efforts to anticipate message-related workflow demands and allocate resources effectively.
Objective
Our objective was to characterize older adult patients (aged ≥65 years) with high secure messaging volume, examining both patient characteristics and other aspects of their messaging intensity, such as messaging frequency, length, and messaging use relative to patient portal logins and health care encounters.