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04/18/26

Patient portal usability gaps: a heuristic evaluation of two major EHR systems.

Milicia, Arianna; Spaar, Patricia A; Bocknek, Lucy S; Krevat, Seth; Gold, Jeffrey A; Ratwani, Raj. Appl Clin Inform.

Collection Topics
Cognition and Decision Making Culture, Work System, and Implementation Health IT
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Summary

Patient portals give patients access to diagnoses, test results, and clinical communication, but they often inherit EHR usability issues that hinder navigation and interpretation. This assessment of two portals found gaps in critical functions like diagnosis display and provider messaging—flaws that may reduce patient understanding and engagement. While most issues were minor, their accumulation in high-risk functions could threaten diagnostic safety.

Read the paper
Milicia A, Spaar PA, Bocknek LS, et al. Patient portal usability gaps: a heuristic evaluation of two major EHR systems. Appl Clin Inform. 2026;17(2):281-287.