Information Systems in Health Care: Personal Health Records
Introduction
Information systems in health care are critical to processing and storing data related to patients and patient services, which in turn ensures that safe, quality care is provided to every patient (Heeks, 2006). One area that needs focus among health care providers is the area of the personal health record (PHR), as Kahn, Aulakh and Bosworth (2009) point out: a gap exists between what patients receive in terms of their personal health information and what they expect and want. The ideal personal health record is one in which the digital application is easily used by patients to help them manage and maintain their health information in an accurate, secure, private and effective way. (Health IT, 2013). The PHR should be managed by patients so that they can store data from multiple sources, such as their health care providers or themselves; it allows them to monitor their diet or exercise plans, see their medication lists, their treatment history, and so on. It is not a legal record to be used by a health care provider but is instead wholly for the patient’s own use so that the patient can be more informed about his or her own treatment. The purpose of the PHR is to enable the patient to be more included in his or her own treatment plan and care service so that whatever intervention is recommended is one that the patient can take ownership of. This paper will discuss PHRs and show how they can be applied in my nursing practice to enhance quality care for patients; it will also describe my own personal experience with PHRs and why I believe patients can benefit from their usage.
Why PHRs are Necessary
As the American Health Information Management Association (2017) points out, “Providing individuals with access to their health information is necessary in delivering high quality care” (p. 1) and PHRs are one way to help make that happen. The purpose of the PHR is to help health care providers to use the digital technology now available thanks to advancements in electronic technology in the Digital Age and apply those advancements to client services. PHRs allow patients to stay informed about their own treatment care and to be up to date on their own personal health information. By allowing them access to their own medical records through the PHR, providers give patients an opportunity to reduce costs associated...
References
American Health Information Management Association. (2017). Analyzing Patient Access to Personal Health Information. Retrieved from http://www.ahima.org/searchresults?q=personal%20health%20records
Haes, S. & Grembergen, W. (2009). Exploratory study in IT governance implementations and its impact on business/IT alignment. Information Systems Management, 26, 123-137.
Health IT. (2013). What is a personal health record? Retrieved from https://www.healthit.gov/providers-professionals/faqs/what-personal-health-record
Heeks, R. (2006). Health information systems: Failure, success and improvisation. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 75(2), 125-137.
Kahn, J. S., Aulakh, V., & Bosworth, A. (2009). What it takes: characteristics of the ideal personal health record. Health Affairs, 28(2), 369-376.
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