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Computerworld - The results of a survey released today of thousands of users of electronic personal health records nationwide (PHRs) revealed that while the wealthy tend to use them more, it was the poor who derive the greatest benefits from online records.

Unlike electronic health records (EHRs), which are used by doctors and other healthcare providers, PHRs are used by the patients to access information online about their health, whether it is the latest medical laboratory test results or their medical histories from various sources. PHRs can also be used to communicate with physicians through e-mail.

PHR websites are being offered by hospitals, physician practices, healtcare plans and private businesses such as Google and Microsoft, for consumers have their healthcare information aggregated for easy access.

The survey, funded by the private California HealthCare Foundation and conducted by the Lake Research Partners, showed the use of PHRs has more than doubled over the past two years, though it has remained low: one in 14 Americans.

The survey included 1,849 respondents and it also found that two out of three Americans are concerned about the privacy of their health information, but that the concern dissipates through experience with PHRs as well as the benefits from the sites. Consumers with online access to their health information also tend to pay more attention to their health, the survey found.

Not surprisingly, consumers prefer to use PHR websites that come from their health care providers.

"Most care is self care, particularly those with chronic conditions. So, this research is really important to helping us understand why consumers are using PHRs and other patient-facing technology and what some of the challenges are," said Joshua Seidman, the acting director of the Meaningful Use Division of the Office of Provider Adoption Support at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).

The ONC is in charge of managing about $46 billion earmarked through the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, passed earlier this year. In order to receive tens of thousands of dollars in reimbursements for eHealth technology rollouts, hospitals, physicians practices and other healthcare providers must meaningful use of their online health records systems.

Seidman said that when the definition of "Meaningful Use" was being discussed at the ONC, the health IT Policy Committee recommended that patient and family engagement be one of the five main health policy outcome priorities.

"This is something that's a high priority for us," he said. The ONC plans to perform its own surveys of PHR users over the next two years, he said. "One of the really critical findings here ... is the frustration with health care."