Abstract
Purpose: The purpose is to report the evaluation of a low-tech personal health record, My Health Companion (MHC), designed to assist in tracking, maintaining, and appropriately communicating health information.
Background: The conceptual basis for the MHC is the growing understanding of healthy literacy in health promotion and illness management. A key component of overall health literacy is management of health information which can be enhanced with the use of a personal health record (PHR). The content areas for the MHC include standard health history data and information to provide insight into the impact of illness on one's life style.
Description: The MHC was used and evaluated in three research projects with 167 rural elderly or rural dwellers with a chronic health condition. The evaluation included standard scales, e.g., PEPPI - a measure of clients' confidence in communicating with physicians and questions to tap the usefulness in achieving health maintenance activities.
Outcomes: PEPPI scores for thos ewho used the MHC increased. On a five point scale the usefulness of the MHC was rated at 3.94 for "managing illness", 4.19 "preparing for healthcare visits", 3.80 "strengthening partnership with providers", and 4.65 "tracking health information". They would strongly recommend the MHC to others and noted the value of having all health information in one place and its acceptance by healthcare providers as an asset in managing treatment.
Conclusions: A useful, low-tech tool, such as the MHC, has a universal appeal as having a way to better track health progress, being prepared to engage with the health care system, and making more informed decisions is not culturally bound. Facilitating the use of a personal health record is a win-win situation for individuals and for health care providers.
Funding: NINR (2 R01 NR007908-04A1), SC Ministry Foundation, USDA (2008-03860)
Sigma Membership
Unknown
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
N/A
Research Approach
N/A
Keywords:
Chronic Illness Self-management, Personal Health Record, Enhanced Health Literacy
Recommended Citation
Weinert, Clarann, "My Health Companion©: A low-tech personal health record" (2012). Convention. 78.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2011/presentations_2011/78
Conference Name
41st Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Grapevine, Texas, USA
Conference Year
2011
Rights Holder
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Acquisition
Proxy-submission
My Health Companion©: A low-tech personal health record
Grapevine, Texas, USA
Purpose: The purpose is to report the evaluation of a low-tech personal health record, My Health Companion (MHC), designed to assist in tracking, maintaining, and appropriately communicating health information.
Background: The conceptual basis for the MHC is the growing understanding of healthy literacy in health promotion and illness management. A key component of overall health literacy is management of health information which can be enhanced with the use of a personal health record (PHR). The content areas for the MHC include standard health history data and information to provide insight into the impact of illness on one's life style.
Description: The MHC was used and evaluated in three research projects with 167 rural elderly or rural dwellers with a chronic health condition. The evaluation included standard scales, e.g., PEPPI - a measure of clients' confidence in communicating with physicians and questions to tap the usefulness in achieving health maintenance activities.
Outcomes: PEPPI scores for thos ewho used the MHC increased. On a five point scale the usefulness of the MHC was rated at 3.94 for "managing illness", 4.19 "preparing for healthcare visits", 3.80 "strengthening partnership with providers", and 4.65 "tracking health information". They would strongly recommend the MHC to others and noted the value of having all health information in one place and its acceptance by healthcare providers as an asset in managing treatment.
Conclusions: A useful, low-tech tool, such as the MHC, has a universal appeal as having a way to better track health progress, being prepared to engage with the health care system, and making more informed decisions is not culturally bound. Facilitating the use of a personal health record is a win-win situation for individuals and for health care providers.
Funding: NINR (2 R01 NR007908-04A1), SC Ministry Foundation, USDA (2008-03860)
Description
41st Biennial Convention - 29 October-2 November 2011. Theme: People and Knowledge: Connecting for Global Health. Held at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center.