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Do It Yourself Medical Records Put To The Test
By Jessica Brown, 05 Feb 16:33
Studies track value of getting an electronic handle on your health history.
WASHINGTON - Just like with do-it-yourself taxes, a growing software industry lets patients create their own "personal health records." No more answering 10-page questionnaires every time you visit a new doctor — just hit the print button before leaving home to arrive armed with your life's medical history.
Doctors have been slow to switch from error-prone paper records to digital ones, so the trend promises to empower patients to take matters into their own computers.
But can using personal health records, or PHRs, actually make you healthier? The government is spending millions on the first studies to find out — and if so, the findings would give doctors a big push to get on board.
The idea: Put records from every health encounter in one patient-controlled spot, such as a password-protected Internet site. Then if you travel, change doctors, or a disaster destroys paper charts — like when Hurricane Katrina flooded doctors' offices — you'll always have on hand information that could prove crucial.
But the quality and scope of PHR programs varies widely, and a good one is supposed to be more than a static repository.
Say someone with hypertension starts listing morning blood pressure in a PHR that automatically creates a graph. It shows a pattern of spikes that a one-time check in the doctor's office never would catch, prompting a call for help.
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Tags: health
Comments (1)
Posted by Mandy Kandy, 30 Oct 20:26
Very interesting, something I am going to check out on my own.