PHRs a hit with Indiana students

Personal Health Records have proved popular with students in a trial at The Indiana University Health Centre.

According to the University some 3,100 of 7,200 incoming students - 40% of the class - have activated a PHR and entered some data, said Pete Grogg, associate director at the health center.

According to Health Data Management Grogg said half of the students with a PHR are now sharing data with the University Health Centre.

The University Health Centre will promote the PHR to other students this term via articles in the university newspaper, encouraging students to register for the PHR when they schedule appointments.

Indiana University expects to complete integration work and populate PHRs with pertinent patient data from the centre's electronic health records system. Students with a PHR can already populate it with data they receive from their primary care physician, or the health centre can scan their information into the PHR.

The PHR vendor, NoMoreClipboard.com, says it plans to add features to enable students to request prescription refills and view their financial history online.

NoMoreClipboard.com has launched initiatives to integrate both with Google Health and the Microsoft HealthVault personal health platform.