Majority of teen patient portals accessed by guardians, raising privacy concerns

More than half of adolescent patient portal accounts with outbound messages were accessed by guardians, raising concerns about patient confidentiality, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open. The study suggests that adolescents may be less willing to share sensitive health topics via the portal when aware of their guardians’ access. The researchers emphasized the need to educate adolescents and guardians on patient portals and proxy accounts and to protect young people’s sensitive health information.