Rosalind Franklin Society Proudly Announces the 2022 Award Recipient for Telemedicine and e-Health

The Rosalind Franklin Society (RFS), in partnership with Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers, enthusiastically congratulate our distinguished recipient of the 2022 annualRFS Award in Sciencefor this journal, which recognizes the outstanding research and published work of women and underrepresented minority scientists, physicians, and engineers.

Carolyn L. Turvey, et al., “Patient and Provider Experience of Electronic Patient Portals and Secure Messaging in Mental Health Treatment,” Telemedicine and e-Health 28, no. 2 (February 2022): 189–198, http://doi.org/10.1089/tmj.2020.0395.

Abstract

Electronic health record patient portals were promoted to enhance patient engagement. However, organizations often deny patient access to records of treatment for mental health disorders. This study explores patient and provider experience of patient electronic access to the mental health treatment record and the use of secure messaging. Online surveys of a sample of mental health patients and providers addressed their experience using patient portals and secure messaging.

Of 29 providers, 72% endorsed that patients requested a change in the provider note, 69% endorsed patients asked more questions, 55% endorsed patients reported they experienced significant distress after accessing portal, and 21% reported patients engaged in negative and/or self-destructive behavior toward themselves or others. For patients, 86% endorsed that they gained a better understanding of what was discussed, 84% trusted their health care provider more, 76% felt comforted after reading their health information, and 57% reported they were better able to take medications as prescribed. Both patients and providers enjoyed the efficiency of secure messaging.

Biosketch

Dr. Carolyn Turvey is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa. She also serves as the clinical director of the Veterans Rural Health Resource Center (VA Office of Rural Health) located in Iowa City. Dr. Turvey specializes in the use of telemedicine and e-health to improve access to care for functionally impaired elderly, people suffering mental health conditions, and rural veterans. She has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid, and the American Heart Association. For the past 15 years, Dr. Turvey has focused on patient portals and their use in engaging patients in their care. She is currently exploring the use of e-health technologies to support measurement-based care.