The Digital Divide in Adoption and Use of a Personal Health Record

Abstract

The personal health record (PHR) is an “Internet-based set of tools that allows people to access and coordinate their lifelong health information.”^1(p3) The spectrum of PHRs ranges from health care organization–tethered applications that build on a patient's existing electronic health record to stand-alones in which the patient supplies the bulk of medical information to the PHR.² Regardless of the architecture, however, all PHRs aim to increase patient access to personal health information in a secure fashion.³ Some estimate that more than 70 million Americans already have access to some form of PHR, although this figure includes insurance-provided PHRs, of which the patient may be unaware.⁴