Table 1. Demographic characteristics of patients at the time of their hospital admission, summary statistics of their inpatient portal use, their outpatient portal use after being discharged, and the dichotomized survey items representing patient health literacy and numeracy skills.
| Characteristic | n = 654 a |
|---|---|
| Age | |
| 18–29 | 106 (16.2%) |
| 30–39 | 141 (21.6%) |
| 40–49 | 126 (19.3%) |
| 50–59 | 138 (21.1%) |
| 60–69 | 112 (17.1%) |
| ≥70 | 31 (4.7%) |
| Gender | |
| Male | 251 (38.4%) |
| Female | 403 (61.6%) |
| Race | |
| White | 516 (78.9%) |
| Black | 113 (17.3%) |
| Other | 25 (3.8%) |
| Educational attainment | |
| Less than high school | 34 (5.2%) |
| High school | 166 (25.4%) |
| Some college | 207 (31.7%) |
| College graduate | 172 (26.3%) |
| Graduate or beyond | 75 (11.5%) |
| Marital status | |
| Married | 327 (50.0%) |
| Living as married | 36 (5.5%) |
| Widowed | 88 (13.5%) |
| Divorced | 24 (3.7%) |
| Separated | 17 (2.6%) |
| Single, never married | 162 (24.8%) |
| Employment | |
| Employed | 320 (48.9%) |
| Unemployed | 69 (10.6%) |
| Homemaker | 18 (2.8%) |
| Student | 9 (1.4%) |
| Retired | 75 (11.5%) |
| Disabled | 141 (21.6%) |
| Other | 22 (3.4%) |
| Household income | |
| $0–$19,999 | 223 (34.1%) |
| $20,000–$49,999 | 160 (24.5%) |
| $50,000–$99,999 | 158 (24.2%) |
| $100,000–$199,999 | 94 (14.4%) |
| $200,000 or more | 19 (2.9%) |
| General health | |
| Excellent | 20 (3.1%) |
| Very good | 95 (14.5%) |
| Good | 244 (37.3%) |
| Fair | 219 (33.5%) |
| Poor | 76 (11.6%) |
| Have you ever used a patient portal? | |
| Yes | 481 (73.5%) |
| No | 137 (20.9%) |
| I don't know | 36 (5.5%) |
| Charlson score | 1 (0, 2) |
| Length of tablet provision (days) | 4 (3, 7) |
| Count of IPP sessions during admission | 16 (9, 29) |
| Comprehensive IPP use | 173 (26.5%) |
| Count of OPP sessions 6 month postdischarge | 9 (0, 45) |
| I feel uncomfortable with health information that has a lot of numbers | |
| Strongly agree to neutral | 373 (57.0%) |
| Somewhat to strongly disagree | 281 (43.0%) |
| I depend on numbers and statistics to help me make decisions about my health | |
| Strongly disagree to neutral | 375 (57.3%) |
| Somewhat to strongly agree | 279 (42.7%) |
| I know how to take my medications | |
| Strongly disagree to neutral | 29 (4.4%) |
| Somewhat to strongly agree | 625 (95.6%) |
| I can fill out medical forms | |
| Strongly disagree to neutral | 60 (9.2%) |
| Somewhat to strongly agree | 594 (90.8%) |
| I frequently have someone help me read hospital material | |
| Strongly agree to neutral | 209 (32.0%) |
| Somewhat to strongly disagree | 445 (68.0%) |
| I frequently have difficulty using written health information | |
| Strongly agree to neutral | 122 (18.7%) |
| Somewhat to strongly disagree | 532 (81.3%) |
Abbreviations: IPP, inpatient portal; OPP, outpatient portal.
a
n (%); median (Q1, Q3).