title: Embracing a health services research perspective on personal health records: lessons learned from the VA My HealtheVet system.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Personal health records (PHRs) are designed to help people manage information about their health. Over the past decade, there has been a proliferation of PHRs, but research regarding their effects on clinical, behavioral, and financial outcomes remains limited. The potential for PHRs to facilitate patient-centered care and health system transformation underscores the importance of embracing a broader perspective on PHR research.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Drawing from the experiences of VA staff to evaluate the My HealtheVet (MHV) PHR, this article advocates for a health services research perspective on the study of PHR systems.
  
  
  METHODS
  We describe an organizing framework and research agenda, and offer insights that have emerged from our ongoing efforts regarding the design of PHR-related studies, the need to address PHR data ownership and consent, and the promotion of effective PHR research collaborations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These lessons are applicable to other PHR systems and the conduct of PHR research across different organizational contexts.
authors.affiliation: Veterans and Consumers Health Informatics Office, Office of Health Information, Veterans Health Administration, US Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC, USA. kim.nazi@va.gov
authors.forename: Kim M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Nazi
authors.forename: Timothy P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Hogan
authors.forename: Todd H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: D Keith
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: McInnes
authors.forename: Bridget M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Haggstrom
authors.forename: Neale R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Chumbler
authors.forename: Allen L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Gifford
authors.forename: Kathleen G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Charters
authors.forename: Jason J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Saleem
authors.forename: Kenneth R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Weingardt
authors.forename: Linda F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Fischetti
authors.forename: Frances M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Weaver
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D055991:Health Records, Personal; D006801:Humans; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D014728:Veterans