Barriers and facilitators to documenting social needs in electronic health records: a pilot survey

Introduction. This pilot study investigates the impact of socioeconomic status, perceived barriers, sociopsychological factors, and health-related contexts such as health literacy and the doctor-patient relationship on patient comfort and willingness to engage with electronic health records (EHRs). Method. Data from 302 participants were collected via an online Amazon Mechanical Turk survey, assessing socioeconomic backgrounds, healthcare experiences, and willingness to share social needs and have them documented in EHR systems. Analysis. Descriptive statistics analysed socioeconomic, sociopsychological, health-related, and outcome variables, followed by ordinary least squares regression to predict patients' willingness to share and document social needs in EHRs. Results. The findings revealed that while a positive doctor-patient relationship increased patients’ willingness to share social needs, it negatively influenced their willingness to have these needs documented in EHRs. In contrast, health literacy emerged as a significant positive predictor for willingness to document social needs in EHRs. Conclusion. This study shows how the doctor-patient relationship and health literacy impact patient engagement with EHRs. While patients are willing to share social needs, concerns about data privacy hinder documentation. Improving health literacy and addressing socioeconomic disparities are crucial for enhancing documentation practices, promoting more patient-centred and equitable healthcare through digital platforms.