I wanted to clarify a few terms that I will probably discuss frequently in this blog so that everyone is clear on exactly what I mean when I use these terms. I have heard these referred to interchangeably when they really need to be distinctly separate things and I think there is a lot of confusion about what is being discussed when the terms are used.

Personal Health Record (PHR) - This is the record(s) that a patient keeps about themselves or a family member. The sole authority on what is put in a patient's PHR is determined by the patient or family member.

Electronic Medical Record (EMR) - This is the record(s) that the health care provider (hospital, doctor, nurse, etc) keep about a patient. The authority on what is put in a patient's EMR is determined by the health care professional.

Ideally, both the patient and health care professional would be able to view both records and control what is added to the record that they have authority over. Currently, only about 4% of people have a PHR (I can't remember where I read that statistic.) and generally patients are able to view their EMR. I think the trend is moving toward the ideal state where both patient and health care professional can view each others' records.