Assessing HIE stakeholder readiness for consumer access: lessons learned from the NHIN trial implementations

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Patient Empowerment
• Health Information Exchange

Background:

• Personal health records (PHRs) offer potential for patient decision-making.
• Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN) integration may boost PHR adoption.
• Provider acceptance of integrated PHRs remains largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore provider opinions on integrating PHRs into the NHIN.
• To identify challenges hindering the adoption of integrated PHRs.
• To inform strategies for achieving the vision of consumer access to clinical information.

Main Methods:

• Semi-structured interviews were conducted.
• Participants were organizations involved in operational health information exchange.
• Qualitative data on opinions and concerns were elicited.

Main Results:

• Key concerns identified include provider workflow integration.
• Authentication of consumer access is a significant challenge.
• Impact on provider-patient communication and health literacy requires attention.

Conclusions:

• Addressing provider workflow, authentication, communication, and literacy is crucial.
• Collaborative efforts among developers, policymakers, providers, and patients are needed.
• Overcoming these challenges will unlock the full potential of PHRs in healthcare.