A Web-based Personal Health Information System for Runaway and Homeless Youth

Background and Issues: Runaway and homeless youth (RHY) face multiples challenges to health care access such as lack of a medical home and discontinuity of care. These barriers lead to gaps in preventive services. In addition, RHY often lack acceptable forms of identification and a safe place to keep important documents such as birth certificates and immunization records that would facilitate health care access and continuity of care. Description: In partnership with former homeless youth, agency staff, and health professionals, a youth-focused, youth-designed Personal Health Information System (PHIS) program called Healthshack was created. This program empowers RHY with tools to manage their own health care and navigate the health care system through the use of a private and secure online PHIS that the youth themselves control. It also provides each youth with a medical identification card. The program is housed in a community center for RHY and utilizes public health nursing students to enroll youth in the program. Lessons Learned: Youth's involvement in the program was key to its appeal and success. Healthshack's collaboration with the nursing program supports long-term sustainability and provides a unique public health nursing experience for nursing students to work directly with a vulnerable and marginalized population. Recommendations: A PHIS could be a valuable program for other marginalized groups such as foster or systems-based youth. Even though Healthshack is a self-managed health information system, it is critical to have professionals who understand health care systems and health prevention to implement the program.