Annual Meeting Recordings are now available for purchase
311232
Patient Access to Personal Health Information Across Health Care Settings
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
BACKGROUND. The passage of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act in 2009 has promoted the adoption of meaningful use of electronic health records (EHRs). Stage 2 of meaningful use focuses on the ability to access, view, download and transmit health data. During Stage 1, more that half of the nation’s eligible health care professionals (291,00) and approximately 80% of eligible hospitals (3,800) have received incentive payments through the meaningful use of electronic health records as of April 2013. The settings of care delivery and continue to impact the rate at which meaningful use objectives are successfully achieved. As health care systems design and implement information systems to support care delivery and meet meaningful use requirements, it is important to consider the patient/caregiver as one of the many end-users of these complex systems. OBJECTIVES. The purpose of this presentation is to direct health information system planners’ to the patient as a vital end-user of EHR/PHR. METHODS. This qualitative study used and in-depth interview and a focus group conducted through a social media micro-blogging site to elicit patient experiences in accessing personal health information. RESULTS. Through a discussion on access to health information, several themes arose from patients/caregivers recount of experiences while accessing personal health information. These themes included systemic barriers, attitudinal barriers and literacy barriers. EHR policies and infrastructure present financial, timeliness, and physical barriers while attitudes among healthcare professionals can also impede access to personal health information. Opportunities to improve health literacy for patients/caregivers and health professionals were revealed. DISCUSSION With 44% of all US adults living with at least one chronic condition the need for sustained focus on health data among patients and their caregivers has increased. To manage a chronic condition is in effect to manage one’s health data. At the same time the time, constraints in health care settings challenge health professionals’ ability to shepherd records and coordinate care even with the assistance of EHRs. The role of the patient in coordinating and managing his health care will continue to increase. For a patient to do that well, the ability to truly access, view, download and transmit health data through EHR/PHR systems must not only work well for the health care providers but also for patients/caregivers.
Learning Areas:
Communication and informatics
Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Define the barriers that exist for patients attempting to access their health data
Describe the impact these barriers have on a patient ‘s or caregiver’s ability to coordinate health care Identify health literacy issues that must be addressed to improve patient and caregiver’s meaningful use of PHR/EHR systems
Keyword(s): Health Literacy, Information Technology
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the subject of the in-depth interview that provided most of the data for this talk. I am also one of 3 co-moderators that conducted the online focus group that contributed the remainder of the data referenced in this talk.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
