@Article{info:doi/10.2196/17955, author="Graham, Timothy A D and Ali, Samina and Avdagovska, Melita and Ballermann, Mark", title="Effects of a Web-Based Patient Portal on Patient Satisfaction and Missed Appointment Rates: Survey Study", journal="J Med Internet Res", year="2020", month="May", day="19", volume="22", number="5", pages="e17955", keywords="patient portal; patient satisfaction", abstract="Background: Although electronic medical record (EMR)-tethered patient portals are common in other countries, they are still emerging in Canada. Objective: We aimed to report user satisfaction and the effects of a patient portal on medical appointment attendance in a Canadian cohort of patients within our publicly funded health care system. Methods: Two surveys were deployed, via email, at 2 weeks and 6 months following the first recorded patient portal access. Database audits of visit attendance were used to supplement and cross reference survey data. Results: Between January 2016 and July 2018, 4296 patients accessed the patient portal. During the study, 28{\%} (957/3421) consented patient portal users responded to one or more semistructured electronic surveys. Of respondents, 93{\%} (891/957) reported that the patient portal was easy to use, 51{\%} (492/975) reported it saved time when scheduling an appointment, and 40{\%} (382/957) reported that they had to repeat themselves less during appointments. Respondents reported patient portal--related changes in health system use, with 48{\%} (462/957) reporting avoiding a clinic visit and 2.7{\%} (26/957) avoiding an emergency department visit. Across 19,968 visits in clinics where the patient portal was introduced, missed appointments were recorded in 9.5{\%} (858/9021) of non--patient portal user visits, compared with 4.5{\%} (493/9021) for patient portal users, representing a 53{\%} relative reduction in no-show rates. Conclusions: Early experience with an EMR-tethered patient portal showed strong reports of positive patient experience, a self-reported decrease in health system use, and a measured decrease in missed appointment rates. Implications on the expanded use of patient portals requires more quantitative and qualitative study in Canada. ", issn="1438-8871", doi="10.2196/17955", url="http://www.jmir.org/2020/5/e17955/", url="https://doi.org/10.2196/17955", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32427109" }