Personal health records have great potential to empower patients to manage their own health care. Through PHRs, people can monitor chronic conditions, explore treatment and insurance options, ensure their health information is correct, share data with others to gain insight and support, and hold health care providers to high standards of accountability. However, as a 2010 California HealthCare Foundation survey recently demonstrated, the success of PHRs will depend in substantial part on whether consumers trust that their sensitive information is protected.
