Evaluation of Microsoft HealthVault and Google Health personal health records
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Evaluation of Microsoft HealthVault and Google Health personal health records Ali Sunyaev
Received: 20 December 2012 / Accepted: 14 February 2013 / Published online: 24 February 2013 # IUPESM and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013
Abstract Consumer healthcare is an approach to encourage patients to participate in the health system, possibly resulting in a larger data and information basis with better quality, potentially leading to healthier lifestyles, better diagnoses and treatments. Personal health records (PHR) are the important parts of consumer healthcare, used to organize healthcare information. Currently, the most well-known systems in this new market are Microsoft HealthVault and Google Health. In this article we list 25 features that we deem the end user sees as necessary for a successful PHR. We analyze the state of Microsoft HealthVault and Google Health in regard to these features. This article also examines and compares the design of the Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) of both systems since it will affect the number and variety of value-added applications that will be developed. The accuracy of an API design could be essential for the commercial success of these PHR systems. Keywords Consumer healthcare . Google Health . Microsoft HealthVault . Personal health records . Comparative evaluation
1 Introduction The relationship between patient and doctor is usually characterized by its information asymmetry [1]. Patients know more about themselves than doctors do, but doctors are the
A. Sunyaev (*) Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences, University of Cologne, Albertus-Magnus-Platz, 50923 Cologne, Germany e-mail: [email protected]
experts in regards to prognosis and treatment. Consumer healthcare tries to narrow that gap by providing new means to patients so that they may benefit directly and indirectly. On the one hand, patients may receive educational information and, for example, may recognize when a visit to a specialist would be absolutely necessary or unnecessary. On the other hand, information may be gathered in a systematic way so that physicians may use that data for a better diagnosis [2]. Patient participation may also have a preventive function. Monitoring one’s own health will lead to better awareness of the positive and negative effects of consumed food or daily activities. Since a patient wants to get the best treatment available, he/she will also want to provide correct data. This especially holds true for patients who need continuing treatment, for example patients with chronic diseases. Personal health record (PHR) systems are a vital part of consumer healthcare and are able to provide the necessary tools for achieving such goals. A PHR is defined as an “electronic application through which individuals can access, manage and share their health information, and that of others for whom they are authorized, in a private, secure, and confidential environment” [3]. There are multiple PHR systems, varying in business models, design approac
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