Electronic Health Records and Personal Health Records

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soncn.2011.04.007Get rights and content

Objectives

To provide an overview of electronic personal health information technology.

Data Sources

Peer reviewed research studies, review articles, and web resources.

Conclusion

As technology develops and electronic health records become more common, patients and clinicians are working toward a safer, more personal form of health care delivery.

Implications for Nursing Practice

Improving access and input to personal health information is still in its infancy, but with government funding, development of patient health records will continue to grow. Patients are the consumers of health care and are witness to the paradigm shift of access to health information and changes in information communication technology (ICT). For the oncology nurse, the transformation of health care and ICT will require nurses to educate patients and family members on available online resources for self management and health promotion.

Section snippets

Electronic Health Records–2004 to Today

The Institute of Medicine's recommendations for care redesign, published in the seminal 2001 report, “Crossing the Quality Chasm,” were catalysts for informing changes required to ensure quality health care in the new century.7 Tenets of care redesign included providing tailored care for patients, recognizing the patient as the source of control of care, sharing knowledge, decision-making based on current evidence, transparency in care, and clinician cooperation. Subsequently in 2004, the US

Information Communication Technology

The value of information communication technology (ICT) and access to information is largely facilitated by the availability of user-friendly mobile devices such as wireless portable computers and smartphones. Mobile technology allows access to multimedia resources on the web, social networking sites, music, instant messaging, and e-mail. Recent survey research suggests that use of the Internet in many aspects of life is becoming universal. About 79% of US adults (>18 years of age) are using

Personal Health Records

Improved access to the health record remains a challenge, but with ARRA funding, development Finnish citizens value access to health care and have created an infrastructure of patient-centric approaches to health care and PHRs will continue. Patients are the consumers of health care. They are witness to the paradigm shift of consumer access to health information and changes in ICT. Traditionally, documentation of health information and controlled access to this information was the

Implications for Nursing Practice

PHRs and ICTs are giving consumers the tools to access information and feedback on their current state of health. Thirty years ago Virginia Henderson described the practice changes associated with preserving the art of nursing in a technological age as helping “persons, sick or well, from birth to death, with those activities of daily living that they would perform unaided if they had the strength, the will and the knowledge” to do so.48 The same is true today. Advances in technology will

Conclusion

For the patient with cancer, widespread use of ICT, EHRs, and PHRs could mean improved understanding of the therapy schedule, documenting and managing side effects, and interacting with the oncology care team to continually tailor care and participate in shared decision-making. For the oncology nurse, the transformation of health care and ICT will require nurses to expand the art and science of nursing to include education and assistance of patients and family members with at-home monitoring

Christine A. Caligtan, RN, MSN: Nursing Informatics Applications Specialist, Clinical Informatics Research & Development, Partners HealthCare System, Wellesley, MA.

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    Christine A. Caligtan, RN, MSN: Nursing Informatics Applications Specialist, Clinical Informatics Research & Development, Partners HealthCare System, Wellesley, MA.

    Patricia C. Dykes, DNSc, RN, FAAN: Senior Nurse Scientist, Program Director, Nursing Research, Center for Nursing Excellence, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA.

    Manuscript work completed at Partners HealthCare System and Brigham and Women's Hospital.

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