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Barriers and facilitators to documenting social needs in electronic health records: a pilot survey

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Barriers and facilitators to documenting social needs in electronic health records: a pilot survey
Authors: Kuo-Ting Huang, Ravi Patel, Sharon Connor, Elaine Kong, Xuan Nie, Jocelyn Schmersal
Source: Information Research: An International Electronic Journal, Vol 30, Iss iConf (2025)
Publisher Information: University of Borås, 2025.
Publication Year: 2025
Subject Terms: Health literacy, Doctor-patient relationship, Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), Electronic Health Records (EHR), Bibliography. Library science. Information resources
Description: Introduction. This pilot study investigates the impact of socioeconomic status, perceived barriers, sociopsychological factors, and health-related contexts such as health literacy and the doctor-patient relationship on patient comfort and willingness to engage with electronic health records (EHRs). Method. Data from 302 participants were collected via an online Amazon Mechanical Turk survey, assessing socioeconomic backgrounds, healthcare experiences, and willingness to share social needs and have them documented in EHR systems. Analysis. Descriptive statistics analysed socioeconomic, sociopsychological, health-related, and outcome variables, followed by ordinary least squares regression to predict patients' willingness to share and document social needs in EHRs. Results. The findings revealed that while a positive doctor-patient relationship increased patients’ willingness to share social needs, it negatively influenced their willingness to have these needs documented in EHRs. In contrast, health literacy emerged as a significant positive predictor for willingness to document social needs in EHRs. Conclusion. This study shows how the doctor-patient relationship and health literacy impact patient engagement with EHRs. While patients are willing to share social needs, concerns about data privacy hinder documentation. Improving health literacy and addressing socioeconomic disparities are crucial for enhancing documentation practices, promoting more patient-centred and equitable healthcare through digital platforms.
Document Type: Article
ISSN: 1368-1613
DOI: 10.47989/ir30iconf47152
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/33ae23d52d644982a6688351ca14709a
Rights: CC BY NC ND
Accession Number: edsair.doi.dedup.....5a5001a3d436117412970b2eabb8f7d5
Database: OpenAIRE
Description
Abstract:Introduction. This pilot study investigates the impact of socioeconomic status, perceived barriers, sociopsychological factors, and health-related contexts such as health literacy and the doctor-patient relationship on patient comfort and willingness to engage with electronic health records (EHRs). Method. Data from 302 participants were collected via an online Amazon Mechanical Turk survey, assessing socioeconomic backgrounds, healthcare experiences, and willingness to share social needs and have them documented in EHR systems. Analysis. Descriptive statistics analysed socioeconomic, sociopsychological, health-related, and outcome variables, followed by ordinary least squares regression to predict patients' willingness to share and document social needs in EHRs. Results. The findings revealed that while a positive doctor-patient relationship increased patients’ willingness to share social needs, it negatively influenced their willingness to have these needs documented in EHRs. In contrast, health literacy emerged as a significant positive predictor for willingness to document social needs in EHRs. Conclusion. This study shows how the doctor-patient relationship and health literacy impact patient engagement with EHRs. While patients are willing to share social needs, concerns about data privacy hinder documentation. Improving health literacy and addressing socioeconomic disparities are crucial for enhancing documentation practices, promoting more patient-centred and equitable healthcare through digital platforms.
ISSN:13681613
DOI:10.47989/ir30iconf47152