Factors Influencing User Satisfaction in Accessing Health Data: Cross-Sectional Survey of United Kingdom Adults.

Abstract

Background While patient health records (PHRs) are becoming ubiquitous, nationwide evidence on the drivers of user satisfaction in the United Kingdom remains scarce. Objective This study aimed to quantify determinants of PHR user satisfaction in a nationally representative sample of United Kingdom adults and to contrast real-world experiences with hypothetical expectations among individuals without PHR exposure. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional online survey in March 2022 using stratified quota sampling (eg, age, sex, ethnicity) through the Prolific platform. Of 1001 respondents, 533 (53%) were female (mean age 41, SD13) years, 468 (47%) reported previous PHR use ("experienced" cohort), and 533 (53%) respondents did not ("hypothetical" cohort). Primary outcomes were five satisfaction items (5-point Likert), overall PHR evaluation (0-100), and stated/anticipated PHR functions. Two-sample t-tests with unequal variances examined between-group differences; multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) assessed demographic equivalence. Significance was set at P Results Respondents with PHR experience rated their record easy-to-use in 79% (370/468) of cases versus an anticipated 93% (498/533) among nonusers (P Conclusions Adults in the United Kingdom value PHRs primarily for personal data access and scheduling convenience. Nonusers displayed optimistic expectations about carer-related features and breadth of functionality, indicating an information gap. Enhancing transparency about current capabilities and expanding features that facilitate caregiving could increase satisfaction and adoption.