Dixie A. Jones

Characteristics of personal health records: findings of the Medical Library Association/National Library of Medicine Joint Electronic Personal Health Record Task Force

OBJECTIVES The Medical Library Association (MLA)/National Library of Medicine (NLM) Joint Electronic Personal Health Record Task Force examined the current state of personal health records (PHRs). METHODS A working definition of PHRs was formulated, and a database was built with fields for specified PHR characteristics. PHRs were identified and listed. Each task force member was assigned a portion of the list for data gathering. Findings were recorded in the database. RESULTS Of the 117 PHRs identified, 91 were viable. Almost half were standalone products. A number used national standards for nomenclature and/or record structure. Less than half were mobile device enabled. Some were publicly available, and others were offered only to enrollees of particular health plans or employees at particular institutions. A few were targeted to special health conditions. CONCLUSIONS The PHR field is very dynamic. While most PHR products have some common elements, their features can vary. PHRs can link their users with librarians and information resources. MLA and NLM have taken an active role in making this connection and in encouraging librarians to assume this assistance role with PHRs.

AMIA's code of professional and ethical conduct

AMIA, as other professional societies, has a long-standing interest in promoting a strong ethical framework for its membership. This white paper presents the latest AMIA Code of Professional and Ethical Conduct. It was approved in November of 2011 by the AMIA Board of Directors. This document constitutes a revision of, and update to, the first code, approved and published in J Am Med Inform Assoc 1 in 2007. In an effort to keep pace with the fields vitality, the code presented here is intended to be a dynamic document, and will continue to evolve as AMIA and the field itself evolve. AMIA will publish on its web site this version of the code as part of a process that seeks ongoing response from, and involvement by, AMIA members. The code is meant to be practical and easily understood, so it is compact and uses general language. Unlike the ethics codes of some professional societies, the AMIA code is not intended to be prescriptive or legislative; it is aspirational, and as such, provides the broad strokes of a set of important ethical principles especially pertinent to the field of biomedical and health informatics. The code is organized around the common roles of AMIA members and the constituents they serve—including patients, students, and others—and with whom they interact. The AMIA Board and the AMIA Ethics Committee encourage members to offer suggestions for improvements and other changes. In this way, the code will continue to progress and best serve AMIA and the larger informatics community. Codes of ethics for professionals present special challenges in conception and execution. The goal of this code is to lay out the core values of this profession in a way that inspires AMIA members to acknowledge and embrace these values. While the crafting of the code involved many …

The Librarian's Role in Linking Patients to Their Personal Health Data and Contextual Information

The objective of this project was to make an institutions patients aware of a new patient portal with contextual links to MedlinePlus. Through partnerships with information technology personnel and LSU Health Shreveport clinics, the Health Sciences Library created and distributed promotional and educational materials and instructed patients on how to use MyChart and access reliable consumer health information via MedlinePlus Connect. Although most patients were not interested in coming to the library for demonstrations, many of them expressed interest in using MyChart. The contextual information in MedlinePlus Connect worked well for most topics. The institutional team leader for MyChart expressed gratitude for librarian involvement.

Initial Entry of Knowledge-Based Information (KBI) Into the Electronic Health Record and Internal Medicine Residents' Perceptions of KBI Resources in the Record

A teaching hospital was using a hybrid electronic health record (EHR) system with no links to point-of-care tools other than Micromedex. The librarians saw a need to integrate knowledge-based information into the institutions EHR to aid clinical decision making. The decision was made to start simply with links to a few point-of-care resources. A ticket was opened with Computer Services and the request to add links to library resources was approved. After implementation, focus groups were held with internal medicine residents regarding their perceived value of the library resources linked in the record system. Feedback was useful and served to spur further requests for additions to the EHR, which were also subsequently approved.

Personal Health Records: Selected Webliography

Personal health records (PHRs) allow individuals to conveniently access information about their medical histories, medications, allergies, and procedures. These records are offered in a number of formats by a variety of vendors. PHRs may be maintained solely by individuals or by entities such as health care providers and insurance companies. With the advent of “meaningful use criteria,” PHRs are becoming more common and are more likely to be tethered to providers’ electronic health records. This column will offer selected examples of different types of PHRs, as well as list a few web sites that provide general information about personal health records.

Effects of a Change in Hospital Affiliation on an Academic Medical Center Library

ABSTRACT This article reports the story of a school of medicine separating from its university-owned hospital, and partnering with a biomedical research foundation to manage the onsite teaching hospital served by the school’s academic library. The tale is not a pretty one, and the Library was definitely affected in ways both large and small by the transition. The saga is not yet over, and it remains to be seen whether or not the ending is a happy one. In the meantime, the Library continues to provide services and vital resources to constituents of the university and the medical center.