JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Patient-generated health data (PGHD) encompass health-related information created, recorded, and gathered by patients in their daily lives, and is distinct from data collected in clinical settings. PGHD can offer insight into patients’ everyday health behaviors and conditions, supporting health management and clinical decision-making. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has implemented various initiatives to integrate PGHD into clinical care, including patient self-entered data from the My HealtheVet online patient portal and the Annie for Veterans text-messaging service, as well as digital sensor and self-entered data collected through the Share My Health Data (SMHD) mobile app. These efforts are guided by comprehensive policy and strategy documents to ensure the secure and effective use of PGHD. This paper describes the development and implementation of the PGHD database within VHA, highlighting the envisioned clinical and research uses of PGHD to advance healthcare for U.S. Veterans. The database adheres to the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standards, facilitating secure data storage and exchange of PGHD. Clinical tools, such as the Patient Generated Vitals & Health Data (PGVHD) dashboard, makes PGHD accessible from the electronic health record (EHR). Research and evaluation efforts focus on evaluating PGHD’s impact on patient engagement, clinical outcomes, and healthcare equity. VHA’s comprehensive PGHD infrastructure represents a significant advancement in personalized healthcare and patient engagement. The integration of PGHD into clinical practice enhances shared decision-making and self-management, while ongoing research and evaluation efforts aim to maximize the benefits of PGHD for Veterans. VHA’s approach sets a benchmark for other U.S. healthcare systems in leveraging PGHD to achieve the broad aims of enhancing stakeholder healthcare experiences, improving population health and health equity, and reducing costs.