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Consider the PHRs of today. Patient-accessible health records are currently web-based and have seen little consumer use when compared to the total U.S. population. The VA has had notable success with its veterans logging on; however, other web-based portals have struggled. GoogleHealth, a free PHR site, shut its services down effective January of 2012 citing too few and inconsistent users to maintain the site. PHRs can eliminate the plethora of patient charts and help to assimilate a lifetime of medical documentation.

What do you think will motivate society to fully embrace these electronic resources? To prepare: Reflect on the information presented in the Learning Resources, focusing on personal health records and patient portals as used by the VA. Consider your personal and professional experiences with personal health records and patient portals. What benefits, concerns, and challenges do these types of systems bring to the health care profession? How might they influence your professional practice and your patient’s health outcomes?

Explore one patient portal. If you do not have access to one through your practice setting, utilize a free service such as FollowMyHealth or Microsoft HealthVault. Assess the kind of information that you would put in your own personal health record. What concerns (if any) would you have about the security of your personal information in a personal health record? Think about your stance on the value of PHRs. Do you believe that every individual should be required to maintain a PHR?

What capabilities and/or features might entice people to use them? What factors might inhibit people from using them? By Day 3 post a cohesive response that addresses the following: Appraise your selected personal health patient portal. Evaluate the influence of PHRs on health care delivery and clinical practice. Take a position for or against mandating PHRs.

Justify your stance addressing the following points: Do you agree these systems should become a mandate for all patients? Why or why not? What capabilities and/or features might motivate individuals to maintain PHRs? What factors may deter individuals from signing up for this service? What concerns might you and your patients have about a PHR's capability to securely maintain personal information?

How might PHRs influence your professional practice and your patients' health outcomes, positively or negatively? Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings. By Day 6, respond to at least two of your colleagues in one or more of the following ways: Select a college whose views are in opposition to yours. Use your research to academically debate why your viewpoint differs from theirs. Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence, or research.

Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives. Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings from the classroom or from your own research in the Walden Library. Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research. Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings. Expand on your colleagues’ postings by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence.

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you learned and/or any insights you gained as a result of the comments made by your colleagues. Be sure to support your work with specific citations from this week’s Learning Resources and any additional sources. Click on the Reply button below to post your response. Thread: Discussion - Week 9

Paper For Above instruction

Personal health records (PHRs) are transforming patient engagement and the delivery of healthcare services. Despite their potential, widespread adoption remains limited, with notable successes such as the Veterans Affairs (VA) patient portal, contrasted against less successful efforts like Google Health. Understanding the factors that motivate or hinder society's embrace of PHRs is critical for advancing their integration into routine healthcare. This paper explores the benefits, concerns, and implications of PHRs, assesses a specific patient portal, and argues the case for or against mandated use of personal health records.

The adoption of PHRs has been driven by the promise of enhanced patient engagement, improved care coordination, and efficient management of health information. According to Wadhera et al. (2019), patient portals like the VA’s My HealtheVet have demonstrated that when designed effectively, these tools can lead to increased patient participation, better health outcomes, and improved chronic disease management. These portals facilitate access to medication lists, lab results, appointment scheduling, and direct messaging with healthcare providers, thereby bridging communication gaps and empowering patients to participate actively in their care.

However, challenges to adoption remain significant. Concerns about data security and privacy, especially in an era of increasing cyber threats, deter many users from fully engaging with PHRs. Studies by McGowan et al. (2020) highlight persistent fears among patients regarding unauthorized access and data breaches, which can undermine trust in digital health systems. Moreover, disparities in digital literacy, access to internet services, and technological proficiency further hinder equitable usage of these systems, particularly among vulnerable populations, thereby risking widening health disparities.

From a professional perspective, PHRs can streamline clinic workflows, reduce administrative burdens, and foster patient-provider collaboration. Nonetheless, they also introduce concerns about the accuracy of patient-entered data, the potential for misinterpretation, and increased demands on healthcare providers to monitor and respond to digital communications continuously. These challenges can influence clinical decision-making and resource allocation, requiring careful integration and provider training.

Evaluating a specific portal, such as Microsoft HealthVault (now discontinued but historically significant), reveals features that could motivate engagement. Such portals often include comprehensive health information storage, medication management, health trackers, and secure messaging. To personalize a PHR, individuals might include immunization records, allergy information, lab results, medication lists, and health goals. The primary concern remains the security of this sensitive information; robust encryption, multi-factor authentication, and transparent privacy policies are essential to mitigate risks.

The value of PHRs lies in their potential to promote patient-centered care, improve health literacy, and facilitate rapid access to health information in emergencies. Despite these benefits, factors such as perceived complexity, lack of perceived usefulness, or privacy concerns may inhibit adoption. Some individuals may remain skeptical about the security of their data or may lack the technological skills necessary for effective use.

Regarding whether PHRs should be mandated, I contend that while the benefits support promoting their widespread use, mandating them might infringe on individual privacy preferences and autonomy. Instead, health systems should incentivize and educate patients about PHR benefits to foster voluntary adoption. Features like user-friendly interfaces, interoperability with various health systems, personalized health insights, and integration with wearable devices can motivate users. Conversely, technologies that are difficult to use, poorly integrated, or have uncertain privacy protections may serve as deterrents.

In my professional practice, well-implemented PHRs could enhance care coordination, reduce errors, and elevate patient engagement, ultimately leading to better health outcomes. Conversely, over-reliance on digital systems without appropriate safeguards or provider training could result in miscommunications or data breaches, negatively impacting patients’ trust.

In conclusion, PHRs represent a significant advancement in personalized healthcare delivery. While mandating their use remains debatable, fostering widespread voluntary adoption through improved usability, security, and education seems a pragmatic approach. As healthcare providers, embracing these tools can lead to more informed patients, better clinical outcomes, and a more efficient healthcare system.

References

• McGowan, C. P., et al. (2020). Data security concerns in digital health. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(3), e15652.
• Wadhera, R. K., et al. (2019). Patient portal use and clinical outcomes: A systematic review. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 34(11), 2374–2382.
• McGowan, C. P., et al. (2020). Data security concerns in digital health. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(3), e15652.
• Wadhera, R. K., et al. (2019). Patient portal use and clinical outcomes: A systematic review. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 34(11), 2374–2382.
• Hägglund, M., et al. (2018). Patients' perceptions of personal health records: A qualitative study. Journal of Medical Informatics, 10(2), 112–122.
• Ammenwerth, E., et al. (2019). Factors influencing adoption of PHRs: A systematic review. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 19, 104.
• Chen, J., et al. (2021). Enhancing patient engagement with personal health records. Perspectives in Health Information Management, 18, 1–10.
• Shaheed, A., et al. (2020). Security and privacy issues in mobile health apps. Journal of Mobile Technology in Medicine, 9(2), 48–55.
• National Academy of Medicine. (2017). Personal health records: Toward a model of patient-centered care. Consensus report.
• Kim, J., et al. (2022). Designing user-friendly patient portals: Best practices and future directions. Healthcare Informatics Research, 28(4), 308–319.