The nearly 5 million patients who receive care at a University of California medical center — including Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco — can enroll in Apple's health records feature to store their health information on their iPhone's Health app, according to a post on the UC IT Blog.
Many patients in the UC hospital system have expressed satisfaction with the iPhone feature. A survey of 132 UC San Diento patients who had activated the feature in 2018 found 90 percent of respondents reported improvements in understanding their own health; sharing health information with caregivers, family or friends; and facilitating conversations with clinicians.
Four ways Apple's health records feature helps patients, as outlined in the blog post:
1. Patients still keep their account in the health system's patient portal, however, connecting it to the iPhone's Health app provides a way to centralize their health information from multiple sources.
2. Patients can access, manage and review their own health data, including medications, vital signs and lab results from within the Health app. If a patient receives care at multiple facilities, the app clearly designates which organization contributed the information.
3. Patients can integrate data from other third-party applications and connect sensors, such as a Fitbit fitness tracker, to monitor additional data. However, this data integration means patients should be proactive about their privacy: "We strongly encourage you to read carefully the privacy and data use policies of each third-party application you choose to allow to have access to your health data on your device," the post cautions.
4. Patients can create an emergency medical identification card in the app so that first responders have access to data on blood type and important medical conditions, even if the phone is locked.
"This is an exciting time for patients to take more control of their own healthcare," the post reads. "And, this is truly in your control — your doctor or UC medical team cannot authorize Apple Health or your phone to pull in or share any of your data — it is up to you!"
To read the complete blog post, click here.