Contributions from personal health records (Phr) on customer-centered e-health

Patient-centered health care stresses the need to customize health care by understanding the individual customer holistically and supporting his/her needs in a unique way. Based on recent trends in patient-centered health care, we analyze the contributions that can be provided by IT and focus on the case of Personal Health Records (PHR). We present the case of Microsoft Health Vault and Google Health as preeminent examples of PHRs, which enable the patient (or his caregiver) to manage the exchange of health-related information among the various health care organizations and specialists he/she consults. The paper analyzes the current trends and provides suggestions for future research by emphasizing the need to extend the functionality of PHRs beyond the exchange of information to meet holistically the needs of the customer.