Question

Identify the challenges to implementing a PHR. (Personal Health Record)

Answer 1

The Personal Health Record (PHR) is an electronic record that allows patients to maintain, manage and access their health information in one secure location through mobile devices, smart computers, laptops and tablets. Despite the technological advancement, the adoption rate of the PHR has been slow due to various challenges.

A number of reported challenges and barriers such as interoperability, policy, confidentiality, privacy concerns, security issues, lack of awareness of services, inadequate internet access, computer literacy, computer anxiety and health literacy.

The challenges may be seen on two perspectives; technical and social.

Technical perspective would be interoperability, security issues, inadequate internet access, computer literacy, computer anxiety and health literacy.

Social perspectives would be policy, confidentiality, privacy concerns, lack of awareness of services and health literacy.