Session Information
Session Type: ACR Poster Session C
Session Time: 9:00AM-11:00AM
Background/Purpose: Patient engagement has become a growing focus in healthcare, catalyzed with the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. Stage 2 of the Meaningful Use has criteria dependent on a patient portal, however whether electronic patient engagement translates into better clinical outcomes is yet to be determined. To begin an evaluation into this we reviewed outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis patients who had signed up for the patient portal compared to those who did not.
Methods: Data was obtained from a retrospective chart review of rheumatoid patients seen at the Ohio State University Rheumatology Clinics. The cohort included patients who had an ICD-9 or ICD-10 diagnosis consistent with rheumatoid arthritis. Patient outcome measures including the most recent sedimentation rate (ESR), Rapid 3, and swollen joint count were recorded along with demographic data. Two tailed t tests for these outcomes were done between each the group who had signed up for the patient portal and those that did not.
Results: 132 patients were included with 66 having signed up for the patient portal (Users) and 66 not signed up for the patient portal (Non-users). 103 (78.0%) of patients were female, with a mean age of 55 with a standard deviation of 13.79 years. Outcome measures between the patients who signed up for the patient portal compared to those who had not 14.77 ±7.57 compared to 13.48 ±7.73 (p=0.33) for Rapid 3 scores, 1.97 ±2.25 compared to 2.86 ±4.06 (p=0.16) for swollen joint count, and 39.88 ±29.76 mm/hour compared to 30.61 ±22.04 mm/hour (p=0.04) for ESR.
Conclusion: To our knowledge this is the first study to examine whether electronic patient engagement is associated with a change in clinical outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis. This initial study cohort does not demonstrate any clinically significant change in several key outcome measures in rheumatoid arthritis, particularly Rapid 3 scores, swollen joint counts. However there was a statistical difference between the ESR, with more favorable values in patients using the patient portal. This data suggests further study is needed to better understand if electronic patient engagement does have an effect on clinical outcomes in RA.
Table 1. Patient Demographics
|
Non-Users |
Users |
|
|
Total (n) |
66 |
66 |
|
Age |
58.7 (±14.79) |
52.01(±11.77) |
|
Female (%) |
77.27% |
78.70% |
|
Race (n) |
||
|
White |
41 |
53 |
|
African American |
16 |
7 |
|
Hispanic |
5 |
0 |
|
Laotian |
1 |
0 |
|
Bengali |
1 |
0 |
|
Asian Indian |
1 |
0 |
|
Mexican |
0 |
1 |
|
Asian |
0 |
1 |
|
Middle Eastern |
1 |
0 |
|
Pakistani |
0 |
1 |
|
Unknown |
0 |
1 |
|
Other |
0 |
2 |
Table 2. Outcome Measures between Users and Non-Users of the Patient Portal
|
Non-Users |
Users |
||
|
ESR |
39.88 (±29.76) |
30.61 (±22.04) |
0.04 |
|
Swollen joint count |
1.97 (±2.25) |
2.86 (±4.06) |
0.16 |
|
Rapid 3 |
14.77 (±7.57) |
13.48 (±7.73) |
0.33 |
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Mascarenhas S, Roy S, Pinto A, Gupta P. Evaluation of RA Outcome Measures between Users and Non-Users of the Patient Portal [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2017; 69 (suppl 10). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/evaluation-of-ra-outcome-measures-between-users-and-non-users-of-the-patient-portal/. Accessed .« Back to 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting
ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/evaluation-of-ra-outcome-measures-between-users-and-non-users-of-the-patient-portal/