Adolescent Use and Perspective of Hospital MyChart Bedside.

Background: Since the initiation and requirement of open access electronic health records (EHRs), research has shown benefits for adult patients and children's caregivers. Few studies have included the adolescent perspective.

Methods: Hospitalized adolescents aged 14 to 20 years with an active Epic MyChart Bedside (inpatient portal device) account were recruited via convenience sampling. Participants were surveyed, assessing their understanding of the care plan, awareness and use of MyChart Bedside, and free-text responses. EHR information (age, sex, length of stay [LOS], race, ethnicity, insurance, chronic conditions) was paired with survey responses.

Results: Thirty-two patients enrolled. No significant differences were noted in use based on sex, age, LOS, ethnicity, race, insurance type, or number of chronic conditions. Sixty-three percent were aware of access; of those, 55% used the tablet. Thirty-eight percent were unaware of access, and 83% indicated interest in using after learning about it. Free-text responses highlighted perceived advantages; 91% understood the care plan well. Overall offering of MyChart Bedside was low.

Discussion/conclusion: This exploratory study begins to address a knowledge gap by assessing hospitalized adolescents' perspectives on open access bedside EHRs. Use was limited by access to and awareness of the tool and did not appear to be impacted by various factors. Despite sample size limitations, this study is an important step in understanding adolescents' engagement with open access EHRs. Future work should include larger sample sizes, assess factors contributing to use, and evaluate whether EHR access in adolescence enhances understanding of their health care.