Web-based personal health records: the personal electronic health record (pEHR) multicentred trial

Abstract

A multicentre trial of a Web-based personal electronic health record (pEHR) service was conducted in three different European hospitals. A total of 150 patients and 22 health-care professionals were involved. The service was customised according to the needs of three groups of patients who had congenital heart disease, Parkinson's disease and type 2 diabetes. Two structured questionnaires, one for patients and one for health-care professionals, were used to collect their views on the pEHR service. The questions were about usability and user friendliness, safety and trustworthiness, reliability, functionality, satisfaction and the potential revenue model of the service in the case of future deployment. Patients perceived the service as very motivating and felt that it could help them in managing their clinical information. Health-care professionals showed a very positive attitude towards the use of the service and its potential for future large-scale deployment. They were also keen to recommend the service to their patients. Both study groups were unwilling to pay for the service and preferred it to be sponsored by a third party (e.g. the National Health Service).