Understanding Patient Perceptions of the Electronic Personal Health Record

• This was a qualitative study of patients perceptions of the electronic personal health record (PHR).
• The focus groups identified 4 key themes.
• Patients perceived limited value to their PHR because of the limited information available and health literacy issues.
• Nurse practitioners can impact patient engagement in PHR by advocating for patient involvement in the development and revisions of electronic resources such as the PHR.

Nurse practitioners are being asked to implement meaningful use initiatives including electronic personal health records (PHRs), yet little research has been done on the usability of the systems from a patient perspective. This qualitative study identified patient perceptions and barriers to the use of the PHR. Four themes were identified: access issues, perceived value of the PHR, potential usability, and security issues. Specific patient issues were those around the use of technology and health literacy issues. Nurse practitioners have an opportunity to work with patients and health information technology staff to address these issues and improve patient engagement through the use of PHRs.