The Power and Potential of Personal Health Records - A New Web Feature

Since shortly after its inception in 2004, the Pioneer Portfolio has collaborated with grantees and other partners to advance the field of personal health technology. In 2005, the Portfolio joined forces with the Markle Foundation to explore how patients could use health information technology, and specifically personal health records (PHRs), to better engage with their health and their care providers. In 2006, we launched Project HealthDesign, a $10 million national program devoted to stimulate innovation in the design of PHRs. Over the course of the past six years, the Portfolio’s work on personal health technologies—including (PHRs)—has spanned numerous projects and several different grantee organizations.

 

Now, with both the ARRA stimulus money and the second round of Project HealthDesign on the horizon, we wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on our grantees’ work in this exciting and growing arena. In so doing, we hope to provide a new and enriched context for the body of PHR-related work funded by Pioneer and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

 

This Web feature traces the history and development of PHRs and discusses their role within the larger health information technology arena. It also highlights a shift in emphasis from data captured in clinical encounters to patient-generated “observations of daily living,” which show strong potential to provide a fuller picture of people’s health and help them more actively manage their care—together with their providers—day in and day out.

 

PHRs have evolved significantly over the past decade and there are some exciting pockets of innovation that are extending their utility and impact. This feature contextualizes those developments, and looks to the challenges that lie ahead for PHRs—such as incentivizing widespread adoption, demonstrating sustainable business models, and striking the right balance between privacy and openness in an information age.

 

One final note: As part of this Web feature we are testing out a new addition to RWJF.org. On the home page of the feature you’ll find a “micro poll,” where you can provide feedback about whether (or not) you found the feature helpful. Feel free to submit additional comments and/or responses in the comments section of the blog.