Question

Class discussion centers on the benefits realized by the use of personal health records. Amir, a nursing student, shares that several doctors have expressed a reluctance about the implementation of electronic PHRs in their practices.

1. What healthcare provider concerns should Amir anticipate?

2. With research, which strategies will Amir discover to help minimize these concerns?

Answer 1

Patient health Records (PHRs) are electronic collection and storage and utilization of records related to health through which patient can store and manage their health data.

There are various types of health records ie.

1. Patient entered health records( details are added by patients themselves and saved within their computers or the internet)

2. Thethered personal health records ( connected personal health records where in individual can retrieve their lab values and dues for screening.

Concerns of health care providers about personal health records

1. Attitudinal factors - many of the health care providers are having a negative attitude towards adoption of Personal Health records. They consider it to be a tedious, double work which is of little value for effective patient care

2. Increase workload with no monetary benefit - Personal Health records are considered to be burden to be initiated with very little or no extra monetary benefit if Implemented. The healthcare person has to get acquainted to the recording system and the user interface which is not appreciated

3. Privacy and security of data - there is a high possibility of breach of security and confidentiality of personal health records.

4. Funds for efficiently utilizing PHRs - on assessment of the cost vs benefit, it is found to be expensive with little benefit .

These are major concerns of health care workers towards PHRs

Strategies to minimize these concerns:

1. Awareness campaign - awareness about PHRs should be disseminated to the patients and the health care workers about it's usage, advantage, profits etc which might boost the usage of PHRs. Attitudinal change can be brought through awareness campaign

2. Staff training - the health care worker should be trained to use and efficiently optimise the using of PHRs which might have Obstacles at initiation but beneficial over long run.

3. Selecting target population and implementation of PHRs. - if a set of people with common disease condition are set as Target for the utilization of PHRs, it would be utilized at faster rates and then can be implemented generally.

4. IT support - if a 24 hr IT support is provided, prompt solution of a problem is much better tolerated than an unsolved problem specially related to technical support.

5. Enhance patient provider communication- the basic idea of PHRs is to effectively communicate with the patient and care provider. If patient records are provided Everytime, even in cases of emergency and travel , PHRs will be used by both parties of health care ie. Patient and physician