Table 2.
Odds of patients electronically exchanging medical information with HCPs by patient-level characteristics
| Characteristic/Covariate | First-Generation Communication Mode (email, fax) |
Second-Generation Communication Mode (text, apps, video, social media) |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COR (95% CI) | AOR (95% CI) | COR (95% CI) | AOR (95% CI) | |
| Age (years) | ||||
| 18–34 | 2.21 (1.43, 3.41)* | 1.40 (0.67, 2.91) | 1.81 (1.11, 2.95)* | 1.47 (0.73, 2.97) |
| 35–49 | 1.58 (1.18, 2.11)* | 1.06 (0.54, 2.09) | 1.81 (1.21, 2.71)* | 1.37 (0.73, 2.56) |
| 50–64 | 2.04 (1.49, 2.80)* | 1.54 (0.84, 2.82) | 2.02 (1.41, 2.89)* | 1.63 (0.97, 2.72) |
| 65+ | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref |
| Gender | ||||
| Male | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref |
| Female | 1.00 (0.73, 1.35) | 1.04 (0.73, 1.49) | 0.87 (0.63, 1.19) | 0.88 (0.61, 1.27) |
| Race/Ethnicity | ||||
| NH-white | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref |
| Hispanic | 0.48 (0.32, 0.72)* | 1.11 (0.70, 1.76) | 1.67 (1.20, 2.32)* | 2.65 (1.68, 4.17)* |
| NH-black | 0.65 (0.42, 1.01) | 0.87 (0.56, 1.36) | 1.33 (0.83, 2.14) | 1.52 (0.86, 2.72) |
| NH-other | 0.81 (0.40, 1.62) | 0.97 (0.45, 2.08) | 1.72 (1.00, 2.96) | 1.87 (1.06, 3.32)* |
| Education | ||||
| Less than high school | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref |
| High school graduate | 1.85 (1.00, 3.41)* | 1.38 (0.70, 2.73) | 0.80 (0.47, 1.37) | 0.94 (0.47, 1.86) |
| Some college | 4.49 (2.66, 7.58)* | 1.98 (1.06, 3.69)* | 1.14 (0.70, 1.84) | 1.10 (0.55, 2.20) |
| College grad or higher | 8.38 (4.50, 15.60)* | 2.92 (1.42, 5.99)* | 1.81 (1.18, 2.79)* | 1.36 (0.65, 2.81) |
| Marital Status | ||||
| Married/living as married | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref |
| Not married | 0.94 (0.66, 1.33) | 1.34 (0.91, 1.98) | 0.91 (0.64, 1.29) | 1.13 (0.75, 1.69) |
| Employment Status | ||||
| Employed | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref |
| Unemployed | 0.77 (0.22, 2.69) | 1.18 (0.39, 3.55) | 0.85 (0.40, 1.78) | 0.84 (0.35, 2.00) |
| Retired/homemaker/student | 0.75 (0.51, 1.12) | 1.18 (0.66, 2.09) | 0.65 (0.46, 0.93)* | 0.89 (0.52, 1.53) |
| Unable to work | 0.70 (0.39, 1.23) | 1.31 (0.60, 2.89) | 0.89 (0.52, 1.52) | 0.87 (0.43, 1.78) |
| Annual Household Income | ||||
| <$35,000 | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref |
| $35,000 < $75,000 | 1.42 (0.91, 2.22) | 1.01 (0.56, 1.80) | 1.10 (0.75, 1.61) | 0.98 (0.63, 1.53) |
| $75,000+ | 3.87 (2.23, 6.73)* | 2.05 (0.97, 4.34) | 2.17 (1.52, 3.09)* | 1.75 (1.04, 2.95)* |
| General Health | ||||
| Excellent/very good | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref |
| Good | 0.68 (0.47, 0.98)* | 0.87 (0.56, 1.37) | 0.82 (0.58, 1.16) | 0.85 (0.58, 1.23) |
| Fair/poor | 0.51 (0.30, 0.88)* | 1.10 (0.55, 2.20) | 0.90 (0.59, 1.38) | 1.05 (0.66, 1.69) |
| Cancer History | ||||
| Yes | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref |
| No | 1.30 (0.95, 1.80) | 1.29 (0.84, 1.97) | 0.85 (0.49, 1.48) | 0.86 (0.46, 1.60) |
| Chronic Health Conditionsa | ||||
| 0 | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref |
| ≥1 | 0.81 (0.60, 1.09) | 0.91 (0.62, 1.34) | 1.00 (0.71, 1.41) | 1.09 (0.73, 1.63) |
| Health Coverage | ||||
| Insured | 2.79 (1.75, 4.45)* | 1.11 (0.60, 2.04) | 1.04 (0.69, 1.59) | 0.66 (0.38, 1.14) |
| Uninsured | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref |
| Regular Provider | ||||
| Yes | 1.65 (1.17, 2.32)* | 1.10 (0.70, 1.74) | 1.50 (1.07, 2.09)* | 1.36 (0.90, 2.06) |
| No | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref |
| Frequency of Provider Visitsb | ||||
| 1 | 1.72 (0.96, 3.10) | 1.00 (0.48, 2.10) | 0.99 (0.54, 1.82) | 0.79 (0.39, 1.63) |
| 2+ | 2.91 (1.76, 4.79)* | 1.94 (1.02, 3.71)* | 1.63 (1.11, 2.40)* | 1.30 (0.79, 2.14) |
| None | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref |
| Frequency of Online PHI Accessb | ||||
| 1–2 times | 6.05 (3.92, 9.36)* | 3.27 (2.03, 5.26)* | 2.86 (1.98, 4.14)* | 1.94 (1.24, 3.03)* |
| 3+ times | 10.95 (7.66, 15.65)* | 4.93 (3.14, 7.75)* | 6.80 (4.86, 9.51)* | 4.14 (2.56, 6.70)* |
| None | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref |
| Perceived Importance of Online PHI Access | ||||
| Very important | 5.49 (2.91, 10.38)* | 2.40 (1.12, 5.16)* | 2.90 (1.28, 6.58)* | 1.99 (0.93, 4.29) |
| Somewhat important | 2.70 (1.27, 5.71)* | 1.73 (0.73, 4.07) | 1.84 (0.74, 4.56) | 1.48 (0.67, 3.31) |
| Not at all important | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref |
| Offered Online PHI Access by HCP | ||||
| Yes | 5.00 (3.62, 6.90)* | 1.63 (1.12, 2.35)* | 3.53 (2.64, 4.73)* | 1.95 (1.29, 2.97)* |
| No | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref |
| Internet User | ||||
| No | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref |
| Yes | 8.69 (4.52, 16.73)* | 2.87 (1.35, 6.08)* | 1.32 (0.93, 1.87) | 0.67 (0.41, 1.10) |
*Statistically significant P < .05.
aRefers to diabetes, hypertension, heart conditions (eg, heart attack, angina), chronic lung disease, asthma, arthritis, depression, or anxiety disorder.
bIn the last 12 months.
AOR: adjusted odds ratio (adjusted for all patient-level sociodemographic and health- and Internet-related characteristics); COR: crude odds ratio; HCP: health care provider; PHI: personal health information; PPC: patient-provider communication; Ref: reference group; 95% CI: 95% confidence interval.