Personal Health Record, Anyone?
On specific visits to medical offices (for example, your doctor, a hospital, a lab), you may be asked to create or update information on a paper form. This information is part of your personal health record (PHR).
Would it not be convenient if all of the information that exists at various medical offices was consolidated in digital form and easily available on demand?
Some advantages of a consolidated digital record are:
- The owner (you) have some control over its location and access.
- Updating the information can be easily and accurately done. Unclear information and errors in the paper record can have serious consequences in patient care.
- Owners can easily carry records anywhere they go. For example, the record can be stored on a USB flash drive.
Some disadvantages or challenges are also noted:
- As with any stored digital information, some form of reliable backup is necessary in case of loss. Who provides this backup and how?
- What structure may be used for storing and processing records? Ideally a uniform structure accepted locally and even globally would be desirable. Would standard bodies and government regulations have to be in place to achieve agreement in implementation?
- How can issues of privacy and security be adequately addressed?
- The uncertainties in record implementation will affect the cost of an acceptable solution. What is the cost to produce the PHR?
It appears that there will be many hurdles to overcome to get to widespread use of the PHR.