Personal health records (PHRs) have the potential to improve health outcomes but face challenges regarding interoperability, security, and privacy. PHRs could allow individuals to manage their own healthcare by communicating with providers and accessing health information. However, PHRs currently lack standardization and the ability to exchange information between different systems. Addressing issues such as determining security protocols, exchanging data between health information exchanges, and clarifying legal policies will help realize the full benefits of PHRs. Widespread adoption also requires resolving questions over who pays for and controls PHR data. Further research is needed to understand how to best design PHRs and incentivize their use.

1. Personal Health RecordsHari Mitra, Robert Reza, Kristin Do, Melvin Young

2. Ideally, what is a PHR system?Contains comprehensive individual clinical data.Capable of population via EHRsIncludes the ability to communicate with providers, schedule appointments, renew prescriptions and health plan benefitsControl on access to data

3. Why are PHRs an important area of study?PHRs are not standardizedDue to different sources of information and different features, there’s a lack of interoperabilityThis is exacerbated by the current state of technological innovation and lack of policy guidelinesWithout interoperability between information sources (HIEs) the potential of PHRs will remain unknownIn order to be used properly, security standards must be determinedThis is doubly true if the PHR system is internet accessible

4. Why are PHRs an important area of study?The potential for improved health outcomes. Some of these includeConsumers would be more involved with their own health care and form stronger physician-patient relationshipsProviders would have improved decision making, and have less avoidable medical errorsPayers would save costs from avoiding duplicate testsOverall population health improvement

5. Highlights of StudyGovernmentNational Committee on Vital and Health StatisticsNational health information infrastructure requires data to support the needs of patient care, population health, and personal health.Requires individuals managing their own wellness and healthcare decision makingIncludes a PHR that is created and controlled by the individual or familyIncludes information and tools such as health status reports, self-care trackers and directories of health care and public health service providers.

6. Highlights of Study

7. Highlights of StudyJournal of the American Medical Informatics Association – Author: Shane Reti“that no one knew what everyone else was doing, that PHRs were being developed in silos and that the good and not so good experiences were not being shared in the environment”Commercial leading PHRs products such as Google Health and Microsoft Heath vault are not HIPAA covered"are able to be more creative and move quicker because they don't require the same sign offs and double checks of HIPAA"PHRs are not currently patient centered because of technical issues of information processing. “overwhelming non-relevant information that was being fed into it from claims data”

8. Key FindingsAccording to the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics:Identifying potential liabilities, rights and obligations of consumers, providers, patients and other stakeholders in PHR systems is criticalThose who use PHR systems should have the right to make an informed choice based upon the uses of their personal health informationSecurity is one of the most crucial issues, especially when involving the internetThe full potential of PHRs will not be realized until EHRs are fully adopted and HIEs are developed allowing for exchange

9. Key FindingsPrivacy is a big issue and gauging the public’s attitude towards sharing their personal health information is importantAccording to the study - Sharing Medical Data for Health Research: The Early Personal Health Record Experience it was found that: Of all the participants 91% were agreeable to sharing their information for the purposes of researchAlso of the total participating 90% agreed to participate when they could do so anonymously

10. Key FindingsThe demand for PHRs has been increasing more and more, but security and control of information continue to be issuesAccording to the study “Early Experiences with Personal Health Records” the shortcomings that need to be addressed for the future of PHRs are: InteroperabilityKnowledge bases within the PHRsPatient control of their health informationClinical TrialsChronic Disease CommunitiesAccess to information

11. Key FindingsThe development of completely functional PHRs can lead the way to creating effective HIEs in the near futureAccording to the study “Personal Health Records: Definitions, Benefits, and Strategies for Overcoming Barriers to Adoption” issues that must be addressed are: Who pays for PHRs?There is a need for “lay” terminology due to different levels of medical knowledgeThe lack of successful PHR business models could limit widespread use

12. OpportunitiesInteroperability /HIE

13. More accurate health info. on patients

14. Ad Hoc Information in emergency situations

15. Access on mobile devices

16. Condition Tracking