Personal health records on the internet: a snapshot of the pioneers at the end of the 20th Century.

Internet-based, personal health records have the potential to profoundly influence the delivery of health care in the 21st Century, by changing the loci and ownership of the record from one that is distributed among the various health care providers a patient has seen in his lifetime, to one with a single source that is accessible from anywhere in the world and under the shared ownership and control of the patient and his provider(s). Internet-based personal health records (PHRs) include any internet-accessible application that enables a patient (or his guardian, the 'mom') to review, annotate, create or maintain a record of any aspect(s) of his health condition, medication, medical problems, allergies, vaccination history, visit history or communications with his healthcare providers. The current state-of-the-art for personal health records is best characterized as 'beta releases'. As the field matures and gains more experience, these applications will improve significantly in ease of use and functionality.