Characteristics of Adolescents Who Use Secure Messaging on a Health System's Patient Portal

Abstract

Objectives: To determine adolescent characteristics associated with patient portal secure messaging use within a health system.

Methods: This study analyzed monthly data from individuals aged 13 to 17 who met study eligibility criteria from 2019 to 2021. The primary outcome was any secure messages sent from an adolescent's account during each observed month. Unadjusted and adjusted associations between adolescent characteristics and secure messaging use were assessed using generalized estimating equations with log link and binomial variance.

Results: Of 667 678 observed months, 50.8% occurred among males who were not transgender, 51.5% among those identifying as non-Hispanic white, and 83.3% among the privately insured. The adjusted relative risks of secure messaging use were significantly higher for individuals with female sex and transgender identities (female sex, not transgender: adjusted relative risk [aRR] 1.41, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.31-1.52; male sex, transgender: aRR 2.39, CI 1.98-2.90, female sex, transgender: aRR 3.01, 95% CI 2.63-3.46; referent male sex, not transgender), those with prior portal use (aRR 22.06, 95% CI 20.48-23.77; referent no use) and those with a recent preventive care visit (aRR 1.09, 95% CI 1.02-1.16; referent no recent visits). The adjusted relative risks of portal secure messaging use were significantly lower among those with public insurance (aRR 0.58, 95% CI 0.50-0.67; referent private).

Conclusions: Adolescents who sent patient portal secure messages differed from those who did not. Interventions to encourage secure messaging use may require tailoring based on patient characteristics.