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Personal Health Records -- A more efficient
way to manage Health Information
Newswise — The days of scrambling to recall
or find immunization dates or medication
names and doses may be numbered. An
electronic personal health record is likely
to replace those handwritten notes and
scattered papers.
The January issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s
HealthSource discusses this new way to
manage personal health information, most
often on the Internet.
A basic personal health record includes the
patient’s name and date of birth, emergency
contacts, names and contact information for
care providers, insurance information, a
list of past illnesses and surgical
procedures, current medications and dates
they were prescribed, allergies, results and
dates of recent tests or doctor visits,
immunization records, family history of
illnesses or hereditary conditions, and
other health information such as a living
will or advanced directives.
Personal health records offer many potential
benefits, including quick access to
information that could be a lifesaver in an
emergency situation. But the technology is
still evolving, and many challenges are yet
to be worked out.
Among those challenges are where the records
will be stored and how they will be accessed
and updated. Many of today’s personal health
records are connected to existing electronic
medical records from a single health care
provider or insurer. The health care
provider may be able to upload data from
devices that measure heart rate, blood
pressure, blood glucose or peak airway flow.
Increasingly, medical providers are offering
patients password-protected access to test
results and other data in the individual’s
medical record. One drawback is that
providers from other health care
organizations may not be able to access this
type of personal health record.
Other personal health records are designed
to stand alone, giving the patient more
control and responsibility over what’s
included. This approach may allow multiple
parties to access and update the
information. For example, the patient can
record exercise and diet progress, a
pharmacist can input prescription
information, and a doctor can add test
results.
However, various providers might not use the
same information format, perhaps hindering
efforts to keep health records up-to-date
and well organized. The patient has the
responsibility to ensure that the
information is current and accurate.
Privacy is another concern. Health
information stored on a stand-alone Web site
may not be as secure as data stored by a
health care system, which must comply with
privacy rules mandated by the federal
government’s Health Insurance Portability
and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Patients interested in learning more about a
personal health record should start by
investigating what’s available through
primary health care providers or insurers.
If no template is available, patients can
request electronic or written records to
start a stand-alone personal record.
Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource is
published monthly to help women enjoy
healthier, more productive lives. Revenue
from subscriptions is used to support
medical research at Mayo Clinic. To
subscribe, please call
800-876-8633, extension 9751, or visit
www.bookstore.mayoclinic.com.
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