Question

An area hospital adopted a commercial Electronic Health Record and plans on adopting and integrating a Personal Health Record (PHR). The hospital CEO drafts the following vision statement “By using the latest technology, our hospital will improve how our patients experiences and engagement in their healthcare. Instead of patients coming to us for help, we will be there wherever and whenever they need us, asking, “How can we help you?” This initiative will make healthcare easier to access and more convenient to use, improve patients’ health, and reduce the rising cost of healthcare in our area.”

You are the Chief Health Informatics Officer and the CEO is seeking your input. The CEO asks you to prepare a response to this vision statement.

In your response include discussion about pros (at least 3) and cons (at least 3) of using a PHR. Consider the shifting demographics and discuss whether you think older adults (65+ years old) are receptive to using PHRs and social media and why (support your stance with scholarly evidence). Explain how social media data could be beneficial in the context of patient care or population health (in about 1 paragraph). Describe how patient-centered care is facilitated by using the PHR (at least1 paragraph). Lets shift gears and now think about the impact remote home monitoring could have on older adults. Describe one pro and one con of using remote home monitoring with this population.

PHR pros and cons - 3 points
Are older adults receptive to PHRs and social media - convincing argument - 5 points
Social media data in patient care or population health - 3 points
Patient-centered care - 5 points
Remote home monitoring - pros and cons - 2 points

Answer 1

Answer

Pros and Cons of using a PHR

Pros:

· Patients have a broader knowledge base of their health concerns

· Increased effective communication between patients and physicians

· Patience can get involved effectively in their health care decisions

Cons:

· Lack of understanding of the records due to lack of medical literacy

· Difficulty in accessing electronic data

· Time consuming and error prone

Older Adults

Older adults (65+ years age) are not very much receptive to using PHRs due to a variety of reasons. Functional limitations due to memory impairment, visual impairment, mental illnesses etc. prevents them from effectively understanding and remembering the required information.

How social media data could be beneficial in the context of patient care or population health?

Social media has helped in the adoption of healthier lifestyles and coping skills for most people. It inspired people helping each other and sharing their healthcare experiences with each other. Moreover it can facilitate better dialogue between patients and health care professionals.

How patient-centred care is facilitated by using the PHR?

It enables the concerned to have ready records on information about visits to health care professional, family history, allergies, medications taken in the past, records of past hospitalizations, immunizations, surgeries performed etc.