Personal Health Care
Personal Health Care
Personal Health Record ‘PHR’ is defined as the means through which health records and other information pertaining health of an individual is preserved by him or her [5]. Typically, healthcare information is retained by healthcare representatives such as nurses, doctors and others and not by the patients. This form where the health institutions and representatives are given the role to preserve patient’s information is known as electronic medical record (EMR). In EMR, the healthcare practitioners are mandated to take and research the health record as they have other uses such as billing and placing insurance claims. [3] With the utilization of the new technology, PHR brings in a broad scope of data for easier accessibilities at any location all the time. PHR saves time during consultations since some of the crucial information is already in the personal health record of the patient.
Historical Development
The way healthcare provision is made is forever improving with the new innovations. PHR started long ago as there are sources date 1970s that contain some descriptions of it. Nevertheless, a substantial information on PHR started from 2000 onward. [4] The fact that is simply the healthcare provision makes it famous and to spread fast.
Initially, personal health records used to be kept in the form of prints, but now health institutions are advancing to the use of digital means. It is now easier to access one’s personal medical records through the internet using a computer or the web-enables gadgets such as smartphones and tablets. [2]
Through the utilization of the internet, health institution has either a tethered connection where information is shared through LAN cables or Wi-Fi or integrated connections. For small scale use, a single computer (Standalone) can be employed. [2]
There lies a slight different between EHL and PHR. EHRs refers to software designed to be used by the doctors, nurses and other health providers. The records in EHL are mandated by the law and each health practitioner in a health institution has to write such record as they are useful in billing and claiming for the healthcare insurance. On the contrary, PHR allows both the health practitioners and the patient to updates health records. Some of the information included in PHR includes the past health information, any allergic reaction among other useful data.
In PHR, there are two mean through which information can be inputted. One, the patient can input it through typing or upload it from a website or files. Secondly, the PHR may be tethered to health record in that, the information update automatically. Nevertheless, there is the different capability of PHRs; some can have one or a number of capabilities.
Current Developments
The modern PHRs have developed out of the need for an easier and faster way of accessing a broader scope of healthcare services. Currently, a single patient may have several doctors and other healthcare providers managing different medical facilities. For instance, the lab where a patient goes for blood or urine test and the place where one gets medications. The two place have to co-relate for better information coverage and easier medication. During the consultation, the questions asked might not have a clear response due to the fact that the patient might forget some of the important details. [4] In this regard, PHRs act as a medical reference which eases the whole process.
Today, there are patient portals such as Kaiser Permanente Model where the patients can have 24-hour access to PHR information anywhere using the internet connections. It is possible to see the recent doctor visits, book appointment, have a confidential health communication with the provider among other benefits. [4] In essence, the current means allow an easier health monitoring.
Reference List
[1]. Detmer D, Bloomrosen M, Raymond B, Tang P. Integrated personal health records: Transformative tools for consumer-centric care. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2008;8(1):45.
[2]. Shetty, Rahul C. (2006). "Portable Digital Personal Health Record: To Bridge the Digital gap in Medical Information Storage of Individuals with Personal Health Records in Flash Drives." Internet Journal of Health 5 (2).
[3]. America's Health Insurance Plans (13 Dec 2006). "What are Personal Health Records (PHRs)?". Archived from the original on 5 Mar 2009.
[4]. Haux R. Health information systems–the past, present, future. International journal of medical informatics. 2006 Apr 30;75(3):268-81.
[5]. What is the difference between a Personal Health Record, an Electronic Health Record, and an Electronic Medical Record? | FAQs | Providers & Professionals | HealthIT.gov [Internet]. Healthit.gov. 2016 [cited 24 May 2016]. Available from: https://www.healthit.gov/providers-professionals/faqs/what-are-differences-between-electronic-medical-records-electronic
