Security/Privacy Perceptions in Patient Use of Online Medical Records: Study From a Large National Survey

Data breaches expose individuals to economic, mental, and social trauma. Electronic health information of individuals not only includes reports of medical diagnosis, medication histories, but also comprises personally identifiable information (PII) (e.g, birth date). The authors examined the association of vulnerability perception-defined as privacy or security breach concerns-and provider encouragement with the use of online medical records (OMR) and moderating effects of provider encouragement and age in the relationship between vulnerability and usage. Data came from a national population-based survey, the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS). This study included 1,770 adult individuals, many of whom are chronic disease patients or cancer survivors. The majority of these subjects did report use of OMR. This research found security/privacy-related vulnerability and provider encouragement significantly predict patients' use of OMR. Healthcare providers and developers should work with patients to mitigate concerns and enable patients to derive benefits from using online medical records.