Digital health information portals linked to electronic medical records are widely used by patients to check out test and lab results for lots of routine, or acute care, conditions, says a new study from researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

But when it comes to cancer patients accessing a portal to check out and update data about their disease, it may be more of a case of information overload, researchers say.

A “digital divide” also may exist between groups of cancer patients going online to access their medical data and those who don’t.

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center researchers looked at the medical records of about 44,590 cancer patients from 2007 to 2016. The research found that 19,434 patients (44%) set up a password and login to access their medical records online through a portal. The median age of the portal user was 64 and 50% of users were female.

The study found that when cancer patients did login to a portal to more than 90% viewed images such as x-rays and scans compared with 10% that looked at laboratory tests and results.

Over time and perhaps because of the complexity of the medical records and dense medical terminology involved in cancer care, 61% of cancer patients viewed medical scans and related images when first being diagnosed and treated compared with 38% three years later, the study says.

“Radiology results were more likely to be viewed than laboratory results, and the likelihood of viewing test results was substantially lower among underrepresented minorities,” says Dr. David Gerber, a cancer specialist with the division of hematology/oncology, Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center. “We also observed a recent decrease in the proportion of results viewed, which suggests that increasing reliance on electronic communication may not always promote the stated goal of increasing transparency in healthcare.”

At 90% far more white cancer patients were likely to log in to a patient portal to check out a new image or view a lab result than African American and Hispanic patients at less than 10%, respectively, says the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

The study didn’t release numbers on patient annual income, level of education or if they had access to a broadband internet connection. The study also didn’t break out other common portal metrics such as how many patients communicated online via the portal with their cancer doctor or how many patients used the portal to schedule a doctor’s appointment.

But the study did suggest a “digital divide” may exist between cancer patient portal users.

Patients were not accessing more of their medical records online because they might not comprehend the results of a complex lab test, according to the study. “Although increased access to and transparency of healthcare are key drivers for patient health portal implementation, actual use patterns suggest highly variable uptake,” Gerber says. “Traditionally medically underserved populations appear less likely to access available data.”

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