Medical information that you and your doctors need for your health care is likely scattered in many places. That means that important information about medication, allergies, and medical history may not be available when you or a new health care provider needs it. That's why experts recommend that individuals gather information and maintain a personal health record. It's easier than you think, and will likely lead to better health care.
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This video Web program tells you what you need to know to keep a personal health record.
In the program, produced with Healthology, experts discuss:
- What information you need.
- How to gather the information.
- What works best—a notebook, a computer program, or a Web-based health record.
- How patients can become more engaged in their health care by maintaining a personal health record.
The following experts are featured in the video:
- Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D., Director of AHRQ.
- Ron Stock, M.D., Medical Director for Medical Education and Research and Medical Director of Geriatrics, PeaceHealth Oregon Region.
- David Lansky, Ph.D., Senior Director of the Health Program and Executive Director of the Personal Health Technology Initiative, Markle Foundation.
Watch Video
You may watch the Web program by opening it on your computer. Note the System Requirements below.
System Requirements
The following table summarizes the minimum hardware and software requirements for viewing the video on a PC or Mac®.
Processor: 667 MHz Intel® Pentium® III processor or equivalent
Memory (RAM): 128 MB of RAM
Screen Resolution: 800 x 600
Color: 16-bit
Modem: 56.6 Kbps modem
Sound Card: 16-bit sound card and speakers
Browser: Internet Explorer 5.5 or Netscape Communicator® 7.0, Firefox™*, Safari™, Javascript™ should be enabled in the browser.
Digital Media Player: Windows Media® player 6.4* or RealPlayer® 10 (Note: Windows Media® player 8 is not a working player).
Operating Systems: Windows® XP, Windows® 2000, Windows® 98, Windows NT® 4.0, Mac® OS X
Note: The video will play with Windows Media® Player 9 or 10. However, there may be a problem if you use these players with a Firefox™ browser.
More Consumer Resources from AHRQ
More online consumer materials from AHRQ are at: http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/.
Consumer materials in Spanish are available at: http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/espanoix.htm
Current as of January 2008
Internet Citation:
Video on Personal Health Records. January 2008. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/phrvid.htm
540 Gaither Road Rockville, MD 20850