*The information given in this entry is meant to inform and not as an endorsement of any particular product or service.

Have you heard about PHR's?  It stands for personal health record, and it's starting to become more and more mainstream.  You might remember reading a little about PHR's in our entry "Ten Things We Like About Google."

Well, let's start off by talking about electronic medical records. Basically, an electronic medical record is just what it sounds like--a medical record that exists in an electronic format.  You might also hear this referred to as an electronic health record or computer based patient record.  The Brody School of Medicine has been using electronic medical records since 1997, and, just recently moved to the system, HealthSpan.  As of 2006, only 12% of doctors and 11% of hospitals were using electronic medical records (Matthews, 2008).  

Personal health records exist in many different forms, but all have the goal of making health information more accessible to the consumer.  Some of the systems allow patients to enter their own data and keep it with them at all times in the form of a key chain (e.g. Capmed), others grant patients access to the data that has been entered by their physicians into their electronic medical record, and yet others simply provide access to health claim data (taken from Early Experiences with Patient Health Records). It is important to keep in mind that personal health records can be electronic or in a paper format. Advantages to the electronic format would be the potential to link the PHR with the EMR.

Now, there are some potential disadvantages to electronic PHR systems. One is privacy. Some are concerned about the ability to keep an online PHR secure so that only authorized people will have access to the information. Other concerns include the issue of interoperability.  Right now, a standard for EMR's and PHR's does not exist. This means that systems might not be able to communicate information seamlessly. Other concerns have to do with accessing a PHR key chain.  To access the information, a person has to have the softward for the keychain installed on their computer first.

At this point, the technology is fairly new, and the possibilities are endless. Imagine if a person with diabetes was able to track their blood sugar levels within their PHR and then share that information with their doctor instantly or if a person could take their medical records with them to a new doctor if they moved.  What if you were in an accident and had to go to the ER? The PHR might be carried with you so that the EMT could have instant access to allergies or conditions that affect the way you are treated.  In addition, there could be links to consumer health information included in the PHR to assist patients in understanding their conditions and their medications. 

For more information on personal health records, check out the following:

Some free personal health records:

• Microsoft's HealthVault-- This is an online PHR system.
• Google Health --This is also an online PHR system.
• My PHR-- This site is put out by AHIMA (American Health Information Management Association) and will help you get started on creating a PHR in paper format. Check out their "Tools and Resources" section for more suggestions on PHR systems, both paper, online, and electronic.

The article previously mention (don't worry, it's an open access article):

• Halamka, J.D., Mandi, K.D., & Tanc, P.C. (2008). Early Experiences with Personal Health Records. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA, 15, 1-7.

Another article cited in this entry. It's available to ECU students, faculty, and staff if you use the "Find Full Text Articles" form.

• Matthews, A. W. (2008, May 22). CBO Questions Savings from Digital Health Care Records. Wall Street Journal, A12.

Special thanks to Dr. Robert Campbell of ECU's Health Services and Information Management Department for his assistance with this entry.