Impact of Using Online Health Management Tools on Patient Perception of Healthcare Quality: A Multiple Chronic Conditions and Generational Perspective

Abstract

While access and adoption issues related to online health management tools (OHMT) have been studied in healthcare contexts, questions remain about whether and how their use impacts patients’ perceptions of healthcare. Drawing on technology affordance and media synchronicity frameworks, we explore how the existence of multiple chronic conditions (MCC) and differences in usage patterns due to a patient’s generation impact these relationships. Utilizing HINTS data, this study provides empirical support for a positive relationship between the utilization of electronic personal health records (e-PHRs) and healthcare quality perceptions, albeit with a caveat that patients with greater healthcare needs as well as millennial and younger generations do not seem to enjoy the same benefits from increased use of e-PHRs. Furthermore, asynchronous patient-provider electronic communication is yet to achieve positive perceptions of better healthcare quality for most users. This research bears implications for the personalization and customization of OHMT to account for variations in patient’s healthcare needs and usage patterns.