Philly Voice: Patients Who Use Online Portals to Access Health Records More Likely to Get Flu Shots, Penn Study Finds

Patients who interact with doctors and receive information about their health records through online portals are 50% more likely to receive a flu shot than those who don’t, according to new research from of Penn Medicine. In a recently published study, the team at Penn showed that use of online portals also increases the likelihood that patients will have their blood pressure and cholesterol checked. “Chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease and hypertension affect more than half of the adults in the United States, and primary prevention — through screenings and monitoring — is considered one of the best strategies for reducing the prevalence of these conditions,” said Kevin Mahoney, senior author of the study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research. “This is the first study to find a meaningful connection between patient portal use and health behaviors, which could have a tremendous impact on patients’ health.” Read more at PhillyVoice