Evaluation of patient-centered electronic health record to overcome digital divide

Abstract

Advances and wide acceptance of information and communication technology (ICT) have made development and implementation of web-based electronic personal health records (PHRs) more feasible than ever before, and previous studies have demonstrated some of its potential and promises. However, this type of ICT-dependent approach inherits its own vulnerabilities of exposing the society to "digital divide", commonly described as the gap that exists among individuals and communities with regards to the 'haves' and 'have-nots' of information and modern communications technologies. To address these concerns and improve healthcare outcomes, we have developed and customized a web-based patient-centered electronic PHR, named the Personal Health Information Management System (PHIMS), and evaluated the system at the Everett Housing Authority, which provides housings for low-income families and elderly or disabled populations. A preliminary study demonstrates that 92% of the participating residents are satisfied with the PHIMS system in general. Some of the residents found PHIMS records very useful for their clinic visits.