WHO NEEDS A PHR (PERSONAL HEALTH RECORD) AND WHAT IS IT FOR?
What is a PHR for?
A PHR is for managing your own health care and gaining the benefits of having your health information
in an easily accessible format. Use it to track family history, medications, and other special conditions you may have.
Lack of accurate medical information results in errors or unnecessary treatments.
The IHI (Institute for Healthcare Improvement) estimates that nearly 15 million
instances of medical harm occur in the US each year – a rate of over 40,000 per day.
We give you a brief overview of what a PHR is for on this page but you should read for yourself. Below you will find
links to various governmental and non-gonvernmental websites that speak directly to the need for people to take
charge of their own health care and maintain a copy of their own medical records. A doctor's diagnosis is only as good
as the information they have available.
A PHR Should be able to:
Create a medication history
Update a medication history
View a medication history
Let physician’s review medication history with patient
Differentiate current medications from relevant past medications
Identify and authenticate users
Enforce data access authorization policies
Ensure the veracity of data
Correctly match patients across systems
Who needs a PHR?
Honestly, everyone should have a PHR or some means of storing all of their own medical records. Everyone is now
required to wear seatbelts and everyone should also have a PHR. You may never need it but when you do it could save your life.
