Personal Health Records

21. March 2010 by admin.

Personal Health Records (PHR) are one of the trends that are emerging in today’s healthcare environment. A PHR contains a persons medical history in a personal repository. PHR can be paper based, computer based, or web based. The purpose is to have a central location to keep medical records. With a PHR a person is better prepared to manage their own health. PHRs belong to the patient and not the provider. As such PHRs do not come under the same regulations a providers EHR/EMR must adhere to. The PHR is not a legal record. The point of a PHR is to collect relevant information that can be used to aid a provider give better service.

 Some of the contents of a PHR are:

1.       Personal health records

a.       Name

b.      Birthdate

c.       Blood type

d.      Emergency contact

e.      Data of last physical

f.        Dates and results of tests and screenings

g.       Major illnesses/dates

h.      Surgeries/dates

i.         Medications, dosages, length of use

j.        Allergies or sensitivities to drugs or materials

k.       Chronic diseases

l.         History of illnesses in family

m.    Emergency contact

n.      Names, addresses, phone numbers of physician, dentist, specialists

o.      Health Insurance information

p.      Living wills, advance directives, medical power of attorney

q.      Organ donor authorization

r.        Important events, dates and hereditary conditions in family

s.       Results of recent physical examination

t.        Opinions of specialists

u.      Important test results, eye, dental records

v.       Correspondence between you and provider

w.     Current educational materials (web links) relating to health

x.       Exercise regimen

Some of the benefits of a PHR as noted by the American Heart Association are:

• Have an educated discussion about your health with healthcare providers
• Securely share your individual health information to someone who needs it, like a new caregiver
• Manage the health information of your spouse, children or loved ones.
• Effectively manage your chronic disease(s)
• Better coordinate your care with your various health care providers to improve efficiency, quality and safety of the care you receive
• Access your health information while traveling, during events like a natural disaster or another emergency situation
• Retrieve health information instantly and securely 24 hours a day
• Measure progress towards specific personal health goals
• Maintain healthcare provider’s instructions, summaries of your medical visits, allergy information and status of insurance claims
• Track prescription medication dosages, instructions, and actual usage
• Track appointments, vaccinations and other wellness healthcare services

American Heart Association, Benefits of a PHR, http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3056159 

retrieved on 3/21/2010

More information on PHR can be obtained from www.myphr.com. This site is sponsored by AHIMA, American Health Information Management Association.

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