Evaluation of Patient-Centered Electronic Health Record to Overcome Digital Divide

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