Implications of the mature personal health record for the empowered consumer

The purpose of this paper is to present a future scenario projecting a fully developed, i.e., mature, personal health record (MPHR) that is instrumental in linking health care services delivery with preventive and wellness activities to provide informed and responsive consumer-driven health care. The legal-regulatory, institutional management, socio-cultural and technological challenges to implementation are discussed to guide future policy development in this area. We conclude that the potential pay-offs for enhancing the individual's health and well-being and protecting and sustaining the public's health overall is worth a considerable investment in policy analysis, technological R&D, partnership building and the expenditure of political capital by influential advocates and decision makers.