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Remember that beautiful map of science picture I posted recently? This image of the brain, a still from this spectacular video, shows that nature still beats all! |
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In the light of what I wrote yesterday on the EHR/EMR/PHR definition discussion look at this quote from Dr. John Halamka’s IT Primer:
“PHRs and EHRs are different products and I do not believe that PHRs will replace EHRs. EHRs are workflow tools for clinicians. PHRs are lifetime clinical summary and workflow tools for the consumer. They are complementary not competitive technologies.”
At the beginning of his primer Halamka gives definitions for all three, EHR, EMR, PHR. The difference between EHR and EMR is that the latter works within one organization only and apparently does not have to be based on “nationally recognized interoperability standards”. So the EHR is defined by its interoperability.
“Electronic Health Record – An electronic record of health-related information on an individual that conforms to nationally recognized interoperability standards and that can be created, managed, and consulted by authorized clinicians and staff, across more than one health care organization.”
“Personal Health Record – An electronic record of health-related information on an individual that conforms to nationally recognized interoperability standards and that can be drawn from multiple sources while being managed, shared, and controlled by the individual.”
Please find the differences. Maybe the most important is the word “created”.
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Another definition issue; I learned a new term: “e-detailing“. It is so rarely used, that our posting of the abstract ended up in the Google search top ten within 24 hours!!
According to Wikipedia:
“”E-detailing” refers to the use of computer technology to enhance or bypass the pharmaceutical representative’s traditional sales call to healthcare providers.”
Although one of the article keywords is “pharmaceutical marketing”, the authors seem to see it in a broader perspective:
“E-detailing means using digital technology: internet, video conferencing and interactive voice response. There are two types of e-detailing: interactive (virtual) and video. Currently, little is known about what factors influence physicians’ adoption of e-detailing”
Influences on physicians’ adoption of electronic detailing (e-detailing), Fadi M. Alkhateeb; William R. Doucette, Informatics for Health and Social Care, Volume 34, Issue 1 January 2009
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A final remark. As an academically trained individual, I’m somewhat concerned about some of the research published in quality journals. Please do have a look at what was posted on this site yesterday:
- User information seeking behaviour: Perceptions and reality. An evaluation of the WHO Labresources Internet portal, Gemma Madle et al, Informatics for Health and Social Care, Volume 34, Issue 1
“This article discusses the evaluation of a WHO Internet portal”; “Twenty one respondents completed the online questionnaire from a total of 18 countries.”
- Pilot Study Using Video Cell Phones for Mobile Direct Observation Treatment (MDOT) to Monitor Medication Compliance of TB Patients, Reported by RedOrbit, 23 March 2009
“The MDOT Pilot Project follows the experiences of 13 TB patients, their patient assistants, and health care workers over a 30-day period in Nairobi, Kenya.”
It hurts to say, but do these studies really have any value at all, looking at the numbers involved?
Lodewijk Bos
