Jessica Taha|Sara J. Czaja|Joseph Sharit|Daniel Morrow
Factors affecting usage of a personal health record (PHR) to manage health.
University of Miami|University of Miami|University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
health care industry shifts digital age patients increasingly provided access electronic personal health records phrs tethered providermaintained electronic health records unprecedented access personal health information enable patients effectively manage health little actually known patients ability successfully use phr perform health management tasks individual factors influence task performance study evaluated ability 56 middleaged adults 4059 years 51 older adults 6085 years use simulated phr perform 15 common health management tasks encompassing medication management reviewinterpretation labtest results health maintenance activities results indicated participants age groups experienced significant difficulties using phr complete routine health management tasks data also showed older adults particularly lower numeracy technology experience encountered greater problems using system furthermore data revealed cognitive abilities predicting ones task performance varied according complexity task results study identify important factors consider design phrs meet needs middleaged older adults deployment phrs rise knowledge individual factors impact effective phr use critical preventing increase health care disparities able use phr