Nr361 Week 4: Your Patient Has a Personal Health Record . . . Now What?
Nr361 Week 4: Your Patient. This week’s graded discussion topic relates to the following Course Outcomes (COs).
- CO4 Investigate safeguards and decision-making support tools embedded in patient care technologies and information systems to support a safe practice environment for both patients and healthcare workers. (PO 4)
- CO5 Identify patient care technologies, information systems, and communication devices that support safe nursing practice. (PO 5)
Case Study: A 65-year-old woman was just been diagnosed with Stage 3 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She was informed of this diagnosis in her primary care physician’s office. She leaves her physician’s office and goes home to review all of her tests and lab results with her family. She goes home and logs into her PHR. She is only able to pull up a portion of her test results. She calls her physician’s office with concern. The office staff discussed that she had gone to receive part of her lab work at a lab not connected to the organization, part was completed at the emergency room, and part was completed in the lab that is part of the doctor’s office organization.
The above scenario might be a scenario that you have commonly worked with in clinical practice. For many reasons, patients often receive healthcare from multiple organizations that might have different systems.
As you review this scenario, reflect and answer these questions for this discussion.
- What are the pros and cons of the situation in the case study?
- What safeguards are included in patient portals and PHRs to help patients and healthcare professionals ensure safety?
- Do you agree or disagree with this process?
- What are challenges for patients that do not have access to all of the EHRs? Remember, only portions of the EHRs are typically included in the PHRs.
Nr361 Week 4: Your Patient Answer
The swift evolution of technology in recent years has embedded electronic technology and the internet as indispensable components in the lives of many individuals. A noteworthy product arising from this technological surge is the Personal Health Record (PHR), a tool that plays a pivotal role in fostering patient-centered care (Lester, Boateng, Studeny, & Coustasse, 2016).Nr361 Week 4: Your Patient
PHRs facilitate patient engagement by enabling the sharing of information, enhancing transparency, and granting patients control over their personal health information. As emphasized by Hebda and Czar (2013), patient access to health data is crucial for fostering engagement as it empowers individuals with knowledge about their health conditions. In the context of this scenario, one of the significant advantages is that access to her personal health record empowers her to take a more active role in her care.
The incorporation of PHRs into healthcare not only enhances patient autonomy and control over their health information but also promotes active patient involvement in their care decisions. This transformative shift towards patient-centered care aligns with the broader trend of leveraging technology to empower individuals in managing their health and well-being.Nr361 Week 4: Your Patient
References:
Lester, R. T., Boateng, D., Studeny, J., & Coustasse, A. (2016). Personal health records: Beneficial or burdensome for patients and healthcare providers? Perspectives in Health Information Management, 13.
Hebda, T., & Czar, P. (2013). Handbook of informatics for nurses and healthcare professionals. Pearson.
