The Patient Portal—Help or Hindrance?

At this point in my life, it is a huge benefit that all of my providers have access across facilities and clinics - I worry more about getting the right care with the least time and energy.
Some benefits:
I do not need to repeat my (lengthy) medical history every time I see a new provider.
All medications are listed.
They know my prior surgeries - I don't need to carry a list for filling out new forms.
When I am in the hospital, they can see not only all of my medications, but all of those I cannot take.
Scan & lab test results are shared between clinics, saving time, energy & money in not having to repeat them. And I don't have to go to the imaging center, pick up a CD and carry it to the doctor - they see it in advance.

Not everyone in a facility has access to all the records - the appointment center, lab techs, receptionist, referral clerk, even the PT, can only see that which is pertinent to their jobs.

@joaf37
I do same thing, do a draft and try make my message as precise as possible. I find if my message address specific questions / problem, I get better responses.

Found this article from AMA, "What doctors wish patients knew about using patient portal"
https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/digital/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-using-patient-portal
Has some good advice, only issue I have is with advice about if the message is long, they suggest maybe time to schedule an appointment. With long wait times for appointments, most people want answer now.

Appreciate this topic being addressed especially the "where is the privacy in all this?" comment above per who has access to what across different health care faculties. Early on that was not supposed to happen. One element I didn't see in the above was the number of characters limit when sending to the health care professionals for responses or updates. At times I feel like I'm back in grad school with the time required for editing per what I want to say in one message. I've actually started writing drafts in WORD because the system can count the letters and spaces ... then I copy and paste my "final draft" into the portal.

I've had similar experiences with finding misinformation in my records, and sometimes (not always) it was difficult to get it corrected. Once I looked at my record and it stated that I had thyroid cancer. I was shocked since I was told that I had a benign tumor. Fortunately, it actually was benign. But the incorrect information had been passed between two different hospital systems. So, yes, we do need to check to ensure that the information in our records is accurate.

I always tell friends and family to read their files on the patient portal!!! There are often inaccuracies that need to be addressed.
Example: I recently went to local Urgent Care/Emergency Dept because I had a sore throat and deep cough which is dangerous for me given my lung issues. I needed to eliminate causes such flu, Covid, RSVP, Strep etc.
I read their Notes when I got home and was shocked to read that they reported that they had done a physical exam of my lungs, heart, abdomen etc. and all was normal. The notes said they had checked my right and left legs for Edema - I was wearing winter boots all the time!!!
In fact the Dr only looked at my throat!!!
And the summary written about my condition by a "Scribe" just pulled up a bunch of terms from my medical records but leaving out my most critical issues like lung cancer and pulmonary hypertension which is not the same as hypertension!
I obviously called them on it and now have to submit paperwork to change.
Realize that when incorrect health info is entered into your file it continues and is picked up by the next provider. If a provider is making decisions on how to treat you based on incorrect information that could be a problem!
Technology has given medicine a wonderful ability, but it takes time for people to adjust to inputting information, and the right kinds of programs to be developed to provide a clear concise patient profile.
I can't imagine what was going on before computers and Doctor Notes were available!!!!

I started using patient portal five years ago when I was diagnosed with cancer, it was a little scary at first being something so new to me but then being a cancer patient and dealing with a pandemic at the same time was very overwhelming. It took some time to learn how this worked but eventually I started getting better at using it, I must admit that it was daunting to read everything about my health and treatments especially the test results, of course it took me some time to figure out all the medical jargon and put it into perspective. I’m glad I decided to try it because I always had a hard time waiting for the results and the doctor didn’t contact me very fast due to so much confusion going on back then with the pandemic. I believe it’s helpful but definitely not for everyone and I’m glad that we have more options today to look after our health.

I like the Patient Portal, at Mayo and at my primary clinic. I like being able to do my own research so I know what, if anything, I need to ask the doctor/nurse when they contact me with the results. I also know not all of my doctors communicate with each other, or read each other’s notes/lab results, so me being able to see everything means I can bring up test results to all of my doctors if needed.

The Patient Portal has been a Godsend. I do understand why it would not be for some people, depending upon temperament and background. If you don't understand something, make a note to ask your health care team about it.

When I see this I call or send a message on the patient portal RIGHT AWAY asking for a phone call. If it is response to new test results and I contact them within 7 days, there is no charge for a new visit or e-visit.
This is a situation where you need to be your own advocate.

I had a xray on both my hips. The results were fine. I canceled the appointment before the physician would say what they were. I was not having surgery even if it showed something. My family does not need both parent's needing care.