[4-F-3-02] Technical Barriers to generate PHR from Analog Sources
Personal Health Records, Health Informatics, Unstructured Data Source
Purpose: In developing countries, the transition to Electronic Health Records (EHRs) is hindered by the lack of digitized past medical history, often stored in analog formats. This research aims to introduce a framework for collecting and archiving past medical history from diverse analog sources and address the technical challenges faced in developing countries.Methods: A multi-source framework is proposed to gather patient data from three primary sources: analog medical documents (e.g., handwritten notes), transcribed patient-doctor conversations, and patient-uploaded documents. These data are then standardized and integrated into a Personal Health Record (PHR) system.Results: This paper identifies several technical challenges in generating PHRs from analog sources in developing countries. These include the conversion of low-quality, multilingual analog documents into digital formats, the accuracy of Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) for transcribing conversations in low-resource languages, identifying the roles of different speakers in telemedicine conversations, and filtering irrelevant data uploaded by patients.Conclusion: While EHR adoption is increasing in developing countries, generating PHRs inclusive of past medical history remains a significant challenge. This research contributes by highlighting these challenges and proposing a framework to address them, paving the way for more comprehensive and informed healthcare in these regions.Ethical Considerations: The collection, storage, and use of patient health data raise ethical concerns, particularly in developing countries with varying levels of data protection regulations. Future work will need to address issues of informed consent, data privacy, and security, ensuring that the benefits of PHRs are realized without compromising patient rights.
