Consumers with more access to mobile health data are more likely to take care of themselves, according to a new study from Kaiser Permanente, operator of one of the largest U.S. health systems.

In the study, researchers analyzed the electronic health records of 838,638 Kaiser Permanente members in Southern California. About 40% of the Kaiser members analyzed used a web-based system that provides access to personalized health information and sends e-mails and text messages if they need preventive care. Kaiser calls this system its Patient Action Plan. The system features online tools that flag the date of a patient’s last preventive health procedure, such as colorectal cancer screening, and the date of the next recommended screening.

The Kaiser study found that patients who had online access to their health information via a mobile device were more likely to participate in certain preventive measures. For example, patients who used the mobile tools and secure online access to electronic health records were 9% more likely to receive a mammogram or to be screened for colorectal cancer than non-users. In addition, Kaiser members that used mobile health tools were 6% more likely to receive a pap smear and 12% more likely to schedule complete routine testing for diabetes.

“Making sure patients receive appropriate tests and screenings is a critical part of providing high-quality healthcare, but it can be challenging and time-consuming to get patients to follow through due to a variety of reasons,” says Shayna Henry, the study’s lead author and a Kaiser researcher. “Our study demonstrates that by creating a customized and personalized communication to patients about their care needs, healthcare providers can directly engage patients and close important gaps in care, particularly for preventive screenings for cancer.”

Kaiser’s Patient Action Plan system is also integrated with the health system’s My Health Manager, an online portal that provides members access to their health information and tools such as online appointment scheduling, prescription refill and secure email messaging with doctors. Kaiser Permanente patients in Southern California using the online Patient Action Plan tool logged more than 4 million page views in 2015, Kaiser says. “The success of the online tool is encouraging for the development of patient-enabled health-management tools within Kaiser Permanente and other health systems,” Henry says.

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