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...

The problem, however, is that too few providers and patients are aware of the benefits of PHRs and do not take the time to use them or promote them. For health care providers, educating patients about how to use PHRs can save them both time and money by placing more ownership on staying informed about their own health on the patient (American Health Information Management Association, 2017). In other words, the PHR empowers the patient to stay focused on their own health instead of having to rely on the provider to conduct follow-ups or obtain information upon patient request. The PHR gives the patient the power to do that on their own.
Data Integrity, Ethics and Security

The PHR is also designed to be a safe and secure system in which the patient alone has access to the information provided. As Haes and Grembergen (2009) note, it is very important in today’s health care industry to be able to give patients an expert level of care in terms of data and personal information security—especially in today’s environment where websites and browsers collect data on users and sell it to third parties without the users’ knowledge. PHRs are meant to be private and are designed to maintain data integrity (meaning that no information is altered or changed by using the PHR—data stays true to what it was when compiled by the provider); and PHRs are designed to be secure so that patient information is not released to third parties. The ethical terms by which the PHR should be provided include the ability to secure the system so that it cannot be hacked, so that information cannot be lost or altered, and so that patients have access when they need it. The system is designed to be confidential and HIPAA law requires that patient information not be shared with anyone other than the patient without the patient’s consent. The PHR ensures the patient’s right to privacy by allowing the patient only to access the patient’s data through a special portal in the provider’s information system designed specifically for patient usage.

As Heeks (2006) notes, health information systems have shown that PHRs are a best practice option for providers who want to guarantee that patients are more involved in their own treatment plans and that their own health care awareness is at an optimal high: it supports the concept…