PERSONAL HEALTH RECORDS & PATIENT PORTALS

A personal health record is a place to collect information about your health. Some people save vaccine records and other medical papers in a folder. This is the start of a personal health record. One problem with paper health records is that they are not easily available when you need them. Making your personal health record available electronically allows you to access your information anywhere you have an internet connection. This is very helpful in times of an emergency when information is needed immediately.

 What can be included in a personal health record?:

Allergies: environmental, drug, and food

Medication: name, strength, and when you take the medication

Doctor’s names and phone numbers

List of diseases, illnesses, surgeries, and hospitalizations

Family medical history

Vaccine history

Lab tests and results

Home blood pressure readings, dietary habits, exercise habits, health goals 

Some of the drawbacks of creating a personal health record are that it can be time consuming to gather all of the information. Also, most of the time the information has to be added in manually each time something has changed or needs to be updated because it doesn’t automatically sync with the hospitals records. Common concerns about making a personal health record available electronically is whether or not it is secure. In response to these concerns there are reputable personal  health record companies that go to extra measures to make sure your personal health information is secure and kept private.

 

Another option for accessing your health information is using patient portals. A patient portal is updated and kept current by your doctor's office. Patient portals allow patients to access information like:

Medication lists

Future appointments (with appointment reminders)

Summaries from doctor appointments

Lab and test results

Secure email messaging with the doctor or other healthcare professionals

Make sure to store your username and password in a safe place and do not share this information with others. This will help keep your medical information secure and private. 

 

Reference

Mayo Clinic. (2017, July 6). Personal health records and patient portals. Retrieved October 31, 2019, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/personal-health-record/art-20047273