A Logic Model for Medical Informatics: Using Program Theory to Explain the Impact of Patient Portals on Patient Outcomes

Funding: Tiroler Nachwuchsforscher*innenförderung 2024

Duration: 2024 - 2027

Project lead: Michelle Bindel, MSc

Background: Despite their current popularity, little is known about how and why the use of patient portals influences patient outcomes. Research in the field of medical informatics has often focused solely on testing the relationship between a cause (a specific IT function in healthcare) and an effect (an outcome) through controlled studies. However, this approach does not provide a complete understanding of the mechanisms at play, as it lacks explanations for why different results may occur in different contexts.

Objective: To implement and evaluate patient portals in a way that improves patient care, and to understand and anticipate their effects, we need a more comprehensive understanding of all the factors involved that could influence patient outcomes.

Method: Program theory, along with its techniques Theory of Change and Logic Model, promises to provide a comprehensive framework for this purpose. These approaches have already been successfully applied in other fields to understand complex interventions (e.g., Health Technology Assessment and Systematic Reviews), but have not yet been used to explain the impacts of complex IT applications in healthcare. Developing and validating a Theory of Change Logic Model to describe influencing factors and their potential relationships with one another could help map and explore the effects of patient portals as a complex IT intervention.

Results: The resulting model can support professionals in better planning, anticipating, and managing the implementation of patient portals at all stages, understanding their impact during use, and improving their evaluation.