Patients Speak Out on Need for Personal Health Records

The launch of Health Recovery Week at New Orleans' Audubon Zoo on Feb. 6 drew hundreds of participants from surrounding areas; many of them had a solid understanding of the advantages of a personal health record.

Everyone should have access to his or her personal health information, said Butch Bridges, who waited in line to participate in the event, hosted by the City of New Orleans Health Department. "It's a shame it took (Hurricane) Katrina to get 'em to do it," he commented about the move to ensure health records are available electronically. Bridges said he has a plan of action after he gets re-established with a physician: "I'm going to lay a jump drive (a universal serial bus, or USB, drive) down and say 'put my records right there,'" he said.

Elois Smith waited in line for a Pap smear and a mammogram. She said she has a laptop computer at home and would have no trouble accessing her records in an electronic format. "Your health record teaches you to focus on your body. It's your personal diary that gives you input about you," she said.

As she sat on a curb reading a newspaper to pass the time, Audrey Gates said, "It's so important when you get to my age to have that little chip that has your medical records." Gates said she likes to travel and added, "If I would get ill somewhere, it's just like wearing one of those medical bracelets." Gates vowed that when she received her personal health record in an electronic format, she'd tuck it into her purse and carry it with her at all times.