Utilization of a personal health record in a general medicine clinic

To determine the baseline use of personal medical records maintained by patients, to initiate utilization of a personal health record (PHR), and to assess outcomes associated with its use, a survey, intervention, and outcome study was conducted with follow-up at 2, 7, and 14 months. One hundred randomly selected adult patients of the General Medicine Clinic at The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics were evaluated. At onset, 44% maintained no records. At 14-month follow-up, 69% maintained the PHR. The change in documentation was statistically significant (p = .013 x 10(-3), McNemar's Test for Paired Data; 95% confidence interval 0.065, 0.54). The baseline use of personal medical records was poor, but it was improved following introduction of the PHR, and most patients continued using the record 14 months later.