Interest in using patient portals among adolescents in mental health care - a cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Adolescents in mental health care may benefit from using patient portals to access personalised information about their health and treatment. While no studies have considered the interest in using patient portals among adolescents in mental health care, factors such as patient activation, self-reported health, depressive symptoms, diagnosis, healthcare utilisation, and eHealth literacy have been found to be associated with interest in and use of patient portals in other patient groups. Therefore, the aim was to explore the associations between interest in using patient portals and patient activation, self-reported health, depressive symptoms, diagnosis, healthcare utilisation and eHealth literacy among adolescents in specialist mental health care. METHODS: A cross-sectional study among adolescents between 12 and 18 years of age receiving or having received treatment at four different specialist child and adolescent mental healthcare services across Norway. The adolescents´ answers to the questionnaire were linked to data on their healthcare utilisation and ICD-10 diagnoses from the Norwegian Patient Registry. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and bivariate tests. RESULTS: The 53 adolescents who participated, had a mean age of 15 years and 68% of them identified as female. Two out of three (64%) were interested in using patient portals. Most of the factors were not associated with interest in using patient portals. However, adolescents with mental and behavioural disorders (F diagnoses, 75% interested) were more interested in using patient portals compared to those with symptoms and signs involving cognition, perception, emotional state, and behaviour (R diagnoses, 31% interested). CONCLUSION: Except for mental health diagnosis, this study did not identify any specific factors likely to impact patient portal interest among adolescents in specialist mental health care.

Interest in and Experience with the Use of Patient Portals Among Adolescents in Mental Health Care.

Patient portals hold the potential to support patients and enhance treatment, yet some concerns exist for adults in mental health care and adolescents in general. Due to limited studies on patient portal use in adolescent mental health care, the aim was to examine the interest in and experiences with the use of patient portals among adolescents in mental health care. In a cross-sectional survey, adolescent patients in specialist mental health care across Norway were invited between April and September 2022. The questionnaire included questions on their interests in and experiences with using patient portals. Fifty-three (8,5%), adolescents between 12-18 (mean: 15) responded, of which 64 % were interested in using patient portals. Almost half of the respondents would share access to their patient portal with healthcare providers (48 %) and designated family members (43 %). One-third had used a patient portal, where 28 % had used it to change an appointment, 24 % to see their medications and 22 % to communicate with healthcare providers. The knowledge from this study can be used to inform the set-up of patient portal services for adolescents in mental health care.

Views on patient portal use for adolescents in mental health care - a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Digitalization of health care has opened up for new ways to involve and engage patients. With this, increased attention has been put on digital patient portals. There exists some research on patient portals for adolescent patients in general and for adults in mental health care. However, no studies on patient portals for adolescents in mental health care have been identified in a recent review. The aim was therefore to explore the views on using patient portals for adolescents in mental health care among persons involved in and/or being affected by the introduction of a patient portal. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted using individual semi-structured interviews with 14 persons who were healthcare providers in child and adolescent mental health care, young representatives from the user panel, or persons affiliated with an EHR-project introducing a patient portal. The main questions addressed their views on introducing patient portals for adolescents in mental health care and how patient portals and access to clinical notes can affect them and their treatment. RESULTS: The findings were categorised into four main themes; "Does access to a patient portal help or harm adolescents?", "Who decides access?", "Mostly a political goal" and "Need for support and competency". Informants mentioned situations in which both adolescents' and parents' access to a patient portal could help adolescents in mental health care, but also where it could potentially harm their treatment and threaten confidentiality. Most informants thought that healthcare providers should have the autonomy to determine which information should be shared with whom, but also requested guidelines to ensure equal practice and support in difficult situations. Some perceived patient portals as the result of a political decision, rather than healthcare providers´ wishes, while others described it as a necessary development towards democratization. CONCLUSION: The informants' views varied from thinking that a patient portal could support adolescents in mental health care, to worrying that it could be detrimental to the treatment. Informants emphasized that the management should facilitate training and support for healthcare providers in using patient portals and telehealth.

A comparison of child and adolescent psychiatry in the Far East, the Middle East, and Southeast Europe.

INTRODUCTION: Despite the high proportion of children and adolescents living in low- and middle-income countries, 95% of all specialized child and adolescent mental health resources are located in high-income countries. To strengthen child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), first it is necessary to complete an assessment of the available services and training programs to determine what is needed, particularly in regions with young populations, such as Southeast Europe, the Far East, and the Middle East. The aim of this article is to compare the status of child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP) training programs and the workforce in CAMHS in three geographical regions, to identify similar problems, highlight success stories, and to make recommendations for future studies. METHODS: This study compared CAP training programs and CAMHS workforce using the World Psychiatric Association, CAP Section's regional studies data. RESULTS: This study included data from 44 countries: 18 countries in the Far East, 15 countries in the Middle East, and 11 countries in Southeast Europe. There were significant differences both within, and between, the three included regions with regards to availability and infrastructure of CAP training programs. Besides Greece, all included countries reported the need for more child and adolescent psychiatrists and allied child and adolescent mental health professionals. DISCUSSION: There is an urgent need for more qualified child and adolescent psychiatrists and allied professionals in a very large group of countries in three different geographic regions with great differences in religion, culture, and economy.