Exploring Electronic Personal Health Record usage in Northern Italy: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background The Electronic Personal Health Record (EPHR) is a patient-centered tool that enables citizens to manage their health information. The EPHR has been implemented worldwide, including in Italy, and holds immense potential, but it has shown a generalized underutilisation. Therefore, this paper aims to identify its fulfillment and the reasons behind its poor use, potentially uncovering the key to unlocking its benefits. Methods A survey was distributed on social media and in the waiting rooms of vaccination facilities in a Region of Italy. Multivariable regression models were conducted to detect a connection between the general population’s usage of the EPHR and specific independent variables. Results Of the 1634 respondents, 710 activated the EPHR, especially women, Italians, highly educated, unemployed, with good health but affected with chronic diseases. Amongst those who activated the EPHR, the multivariate analysis showed that the number of accesses to the platform was significantly associated with lower age (adjusted Odds Ratio (adjOR) 0.96 p = 0.015), higher level of education (adjOR 2.17 p = 0.029), unemployment (adjOR 5.61 p = 0.008) and considering the information on the EPHR complete (adjOR 3.83 p = 0.001). As age increases, the perceived ease of access to the EPHR decreases (adjOR=0.98 p = 0.049). Having a higher level of education (adjOR=0.41 p = 0.042), autonomy in reading health materials (adjOR=0.32 p = 0.043), and less self-confidence in filling out medical forms (adjOR=0.61 p = 0.033) were linked to a decrease in perceived ease of access. Conclusions The study showed that the EPHR is more utilised by specific categories of citizens, especially the young and those with higher education. More efforts should be made to increase access to the EPHR for the whole community by making it more intuitive and user-friendly. The present study provides valuable foundations to foster the implementation of a platform for sharing health data at a European level. Key messages • The Electronic Personal Health Record (EPHR) is underutilised despite its potential; it’s mainly accessed by young and highly educated individuals. • Efforts to increase EPHR usage must focus on improving accessibility and ease of access, as well as enhancing user confidence and autonomy in managing health information.