Abstract
Chronic illness is a national health crisis, with approximately 60% of adults in the United States reporting one chronic condition and about 40% reporting multiple chronic conditions. Adults with chronic illness are at risk for reduced health-related quality of life and increased morbidity and mortality. Despite the high prevalence of chronic illnesses, shorter acute care lengths of stay have shifted chronic illness management from healthcare facilities to the home setting. This increases the individual’s role in navigating self-care maintenance, monitoring, and managing chronic illness. This study aimed to explore the perception and experience of individuals with chronic illness regarding patient portal use to guide self-care behaviors. A qualitative descriptive approach guided this study. A purposive sample of 13 adults who actively utilized a patient portal and had one or more chronic illnesses participated in the study. Through Zoom, participants took part in a emi-structured interview with a conversational guide and probing questions, according to Rubin & Rubin. The content analysis approach proposed by Rubin and Rubin was applied. Four themes emerged: (a) Benefits and barriers of using the portal, (b) Self-care perceptions,(c)Portal-guided self-care behaviors, and(d) Recommendations for change. Subthemes were noted in self-care perceptions and recommendations for change. When it comes to maintenance, monitoring, and management of self-care of chronic illness, the patient portal can be a helpful tool. It was discovered that the patient portal is user-friendly and patient-focused. Effectiveness is increased when patients are given the appropriate instruction on accessing and navigating the portal. It is advised that a more extensive study be conducted focusing on the knowledge and skill gaps that patients have when browsing and analyzing portal data to help them improve their behavior. A long-term objective is to collaborate with portal providers to provide a more user-friendly end-user interface with personalized and targeted instruction to improve the portal’s use for chronic illness self-care.