Benefits and challenges of personal health records

A recent reanalysis of the "ecology of medical care" in the United States suggests that although 80 percent of patients are experiencing medical problems at home, only 30 percent are looking for care. Recognising the importance of having information profits available to patients for the management of their medical conditions, David Brailer, national coordinator for health information technology in the Department of Health and Human Services, personalised health records a milestone in the national strategy for the technology of health information.

Personal health records offer a number of potential benefits for patients, their doctors and the health system. This include:

1.        Patient empowerment. PHRs leave patients to verify the information in their medical records and track health data about themselves (very useful in the management of chronic diseases). PHRs also provide scheduling reminders for health maintenance services.

2.      Improving patient-provider relationships. PHRs improve communication between patients and doctors, are used to document interactions with patients and transmit the precise explanations of test results.

3.      Increased patient safety. PHRs provide drug alerts, help identify missed procedures and services, and get important test results to patients quickly. PHRs also give patients timely access to updated care plans.

1.  Improving the quality of care. PHRs enable continuous, comprehensive care with better coordination between the patients, doctors and other providers.

2.   More efficient delivery of care. PHRs help avoid duplication of unnecessary tests and services. They provide a more efficient communication between patients and physicians (office phones, for example, avoiding congested).

3.  Better protection of health information privacy. Giving control of patients to access their data, PHRs offer more selectivity in the sharing of personal health information. The PICASSO (centred on patient access, to ensure the on-line systems) study at the University of California-San Diego suggests that PHRs are more secure than paper documents.

4.     Greater cost savings. Improved documentation determined by PHRs may reduce malpractice costs. PHRs capacity to reducing testing and duplication services is also a factor here. (Of course, there is a cost for the creation of a PHR. The price varies widely, depending on whether the doctor is charged for the service or directs patients to subscribe, and if the system is web-based or stand-alone.)

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