Keyose Blog - Personal Health Records

One of the founders of Keyose was interviewed by MarketIntellNow. Here is the transcription of the interview.

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It is estimated that up to 15% of medical diagnosis are not correct. The root of those misdiagnosis is sometimes the lack of access to relevant information about the patient. Keeping a Personal Health Record in Keyose could improve the medical decision making process.

Moreover , Dr. Groopman advises that there are three important questions that patients should ask their physicians after they receive a diagnosis:

1. What else could it be?
2. Could two things be going on at once?
3. Have you found anything–any laboratory test, or X-ray, or physical finding–that isn’t in sync with your presumption…that contradicts what seems to be the diagnosis.

A really interesting interview to Dr. Groopman about medical misdiagnosis is available via Youtube in part 1 and part 2.

Two in five (42%) adults keep personal or family health records, that is “one place where you keep all your medical records with the results of all your medical tests and details about prescriptions, vaccinations, treatments, known allergies and other health care information.” Almost every one (84%) of those who do not keep health records think it would be a good idea to do so.

At the moment, only a small minority (13%) of those with health records keep them electronically but many people – 40% of all those who do not have electronic medical records – think it at least somewhat likely that they will do so.
These are a few of the results of a nationwide survey by Harris Interactive of 2,242 adults who were surveyed online between July 12 and 18, 2004.
Other interesting findings include:
• Women (45%) are slightly more likely than men (38%) to keep personal or family medical records.
• Older people are more likely than younger people to keep personal or family medical records. Fully 58% of people over 65 do so.
• Among the many “good reasons” for keeping personal or family medical records are:
- The ability to provide doctors with useful information (78%).
- The ability to look back and recall what care was received (78%).
- The ability to have access to the record in case of emergency (77%).
- To help ensure the proper use of prescription drugs (54%).

The biggest concerns people have about keeping medical records are possible threats to one’s privacy (68%), and security (66%). Many, but far fewer, people are concerned about possible errors (37%), that critical information won’t be accessible in an emergency (37%), or that they won’t be able to keep their records up to date (33%).

For that reason, privacy and security have been the main concern of Keyose’s team from the beginning of the project.

Having a Personal Health Record of your children in Keyose is a great idea. As Larissa Hirsch states in this website when a child is ill or injured and requires emergency care, doctors, nurses, and paramedics will have many questions about his or her medical history. And even the most organized parent might not be able to remember the details of a child’s health history in a stressful situation. That’s why it’s important to keep a comprehensive record of your child’s health information nearby. In many cases, this information can help a medical professional make quicker diagnoses and decisions during an emergency, when each second counts.

The site contains several tips about how to write a useful Personal Health Record for your children. And Keyose is a perfect tool to do it easily.

If you decide to have the Personal Health Records of your children in Keyose probably you will have several keyose cards, and as those cards are anonimous, sometimes you will find difficult to know which card belongs to each child.

We recommend you to personalize the card (putting just the name of your child for example), by clicking in the are of allergies before printing it. Remember that the information you write in the card will not be stored in Keyose databases, so privacity is guaranteed.

The American Health Information Management Association in its website www.myPHR.com is a well known supporter of the adoption of Personal Health Records by patients. In that website we can read:

All individuals should be able to readily access, understand, and use their personal health information. Your health information is scattered across many different providers and facilities. Keeping your own complete, updated, and easily accessible health record means you can play a more active role in your healthcare.

Your own personal health record (PHR) offers a different perspective, showing all your health-related information. It can include any information that you think affects your health, including information that your doctor may not have, such as your exercise routines, dietary habits, or glucose levels if you are diabetic.

In a medical emergency, quick access to your health information is vital so that you can receive the best possible care. If you are in an accident, the Emergency Responder needs three things: quick access to your medical information, the delivery of that information by trained professionals, and accurate, up-to-date information. Most people think that an emergency room can obtain their medical information, but almost none can.

Also, the PHR is a critical tool that enables you to partner with your providers. It can reduce or eliminate duplicate procedures or processes, which saves healthcare dollars, your time, and the provider’s time.

And the PHR empowers you, the patient. The information you gather gives you knowledge that assists your preparation for appointments. Overall, it gives you more intimate knowledge of your health information, including an active role in preventive care and care management. This way, you are more involved in your own care.