Egyptian patients’ perceptions of using personal health records (PHRs): an exploratory study
| Pages | 523-546 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/GKMC-04-2018-0034 |
| Published date | 05 November 2018 |
| Date | 05 November 2018 |
| Author | Essam Mansour |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Information behaviour & retrieval,Information in society,Information literacy,Library & information services |
Egyptian patients’perceptions of
using personal health records
(PHRs): an exploratory study
Essam Mansour
South Valley University, Qena, Egypt
Abstract
Purpose –This paper aims to investigate the perception of Egyptian patients about the use of personal
health records(PHRs).
Design/methodology/approach –A quantitative research methodologywas adopted in the form of a
survey.
Findings –Over one-third of the selected sample was found to use PHRs. The study found that the use
of PHRs by Egyptian patients was moderate. All PHRs users confirmed that they were very interested
in the doctors’notes and the laboratory reports recorded in their records. A very large number of PHR
users confirmed that their use of these records was at least fairly easy for them and all of them
confirmed that the use of these records was at least fairly useful. Above two-third of PHR users
answered at least “somewhat yes”that their PHRs were accurate and over half of them answered at
least “somewhat yes”that their PHRs were complete. The highest percentage of PHR users agreed that
the use of PHRs would enhance their trust in their doctors and nurses. Close to half of PHR users
expressed some concern about sharing their records. Violation of privacy in the use of these medical
records, followed by the complexity of using them, as well as lack of awareness about them, was also
significant to PHR users.
Originality/value –UnderstandingEgyptian patients perceptions of using PHRs may significantly aid in
eliminatingbarriers and accelerating the adoption and use of these recordsto improve patient care.
Keywords Egypt, Privacy, Surveys, Public hospitals, Personal Health Records,
Patients’perception
Paper type Research paper
PHRs have the potential to enhance consumer empowerment, consumer-provider communication,
access to data in emergencies, chronic disease management, and behavioral change (Kim and
Nahm, 2012, p. 1).
Introduction
The great industrial and technological progress currently witnessed in the world has been
accompanied by significant advances in many sectors, including the health sector; both
in patients and in health systems. This refers not only to the evolution of theories and
tools but also diagnosing patients and the handling of personal medical records. This
has necessitated the creation of efficient systems to save and retrieve information
optimally. One of the most important of these systems is the so-called “Personal Health
Records”(PHRs), referring to information about the person’shealththatismanagedby
a medical platform, whether by a hospital, a specialized medical clinic or any health
center. PHRs may contain a history of medical conditions, treatment, measures, aversions,
medications, immunizations, results of health tests, X-rays, scans and similar information.
Such records retain a detailed overview of everything that a patient may want to know to
Using personal
health records
523
Received25 April 2018
Revised8 September 2018
22September 2018
Accepted23 September 2018
GlobalKnowledge, Memory and
Communication
Vol.67 No. 8/9, 2018
pp. 523-546
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2514-9342
DOI 10.1108/GKMC-04-2018-0034
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2514-9342.htm
manage his/her health well. The goal of PHRs, as stated by Househ et al. (2014),isto
encourage patients and health-care consumers to assume individual accountability for their
health and toengage in the health-care process.The emergence of PHRs hasmade individual
health information more readily accessible to a wide range of users, including patients,
physicians and health-care providers. According to Mossaed et al. (2015),PHRshavethe
potential to enable and empower patients by providing them with access to their medical
health records. Such access, as stated by Wiljer et al. (2008), offers great promise for
improving patients’health and satisfaction with their care, as well as improving
regulatory and professional procedures in health care. Giving patients power over their
own PHRs may reflect the responsibility of vigorous participation in the management
and accuracy of one’s own personal health-care information and health. This may also
help patients understand, manage and share health data more effectively. However,
increased accessibility of PHRs also threatens the confidentiality, security and the
privacy of private health information. Therefore, the need for robust and reliable forms
of verification is a big concern (Bonney, 2011).
Despite serious international attempts to care about patients’health and the potentialof
PHRs to help better manage patient-centered care, the adoption of this concept, or even
emerging this culture amongst patients and officials in developing countries, including
Egypt, is still low. In other words, it has not received proper attention so far. This study,
therefore, contributes to examiningEgyptian patients’perceptions of the use, or lack of use,
of their personal medical records. The study of the use of PHRs in the Egyptian context
actually helps to spread the culture of information awareness among Egyptian patients
about the use of these records and thus to achieve a good understanding of dealing with
them.
Problem statement
The PHR is considered a vital part of improvingpatient outcomes. When physicians do not
have access to patients’documentation,as seen by Ewing (2007), there may be an increased
possibility of receiving thewrong medication or treatment. However, the rate of adoption by
the vast majority of Egyptian patients still remains very low.Despite the potential benefits
and widespread use of electronic medical records (EMRs) in other countries (especially
developed countries), their use is still weak among patients in Egypt and similar emerging
economies. Thus, this study represents serious research to investigate how Egyptian
patients perceive such potential benefits and use, as well as to determine the perceived
barriers to using them.
Purpose and significance of the study
The basic purpose of this exploratory study is to investigate the perception and concern of
Egyptian patients using governmental hospitals or health centers or clinicsabout the use of
PHRs, as well as the benefits of, barriersto and use of these medical records. Understanding
such perceptions will significantly aid in eliminating barriers and accelerating the adoption
and use of these records to improve patient care. In recognition of the significance of its
subject and area, thisstudy, which is considered the first of its type and scope not onlyin the
Egyptian environment but also in the Arab world, attemptsto investigate the use and non-
use of PHRs by Egyptian patients. In fact, there are limitedstudies in this area. Most of the
studies conducted on this subjectwere conducted mainly in countries with leadership in this
area, such as the USA and Europe.
GKMC
67,8/9
524
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