Interactive PHRs make patients more proactive

Patients who use interactive online personal health records (PHRs) are more likely to stay up to date with their screenings for cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, and immunizations as well as a host of other preventative medical tests. That's the conclusion of a recent Virginia Commonwealth University study. Published in the July/August issue of the Annals of Family Medicine, the study also suggests that patients are better served when they use a PHR that can access clinical data from electronic health records (EHRs).