Now that Google Health lets users track and store their medical information in one place online, Google’s decided to let those same users share that information with caregivers and loved ones if they so choose. The idea is to eliminate gaps in health information–especially during emergencies–to ensure that everyone is on the same page, virtually at least, when it comes to getting the right medical data in the right hands at the right time.
Google Health, unveiled last year, enables users to store and track various personal medical records, such as doctors’ records, prescription history and test results, online. As Sameer Samat explains in the blog announcing the new feature, sharing such information is important, especially in the event of an emergency:
Just a few years ago, my father suffered a minor heart attack and was sent to the ER. I arrived on the scene in a panic, and was asked what medications he was taking. To my surprise, I had no clue. If my father had a Google Health account, and had shared his profile with me, I would have been up-to-date on his current medications.
Google Health’s new “Share this Profile” feature hopes to eliminate that problem. Users simply type in the e-mail address of the person they wish to share their records with and Google Health sends them an e-mail invite containing a link to the profile.
Realizing the sensitive nature of health records, Google seems to have gone to great lengths to ensure that users are comfortable using the new sharing feature. For example, the link can only be used by the recipient and is disabled if the e-mail is forwarded, plus users can choose to stop sharing data at any time and can see everyone who currently has access. Google also says the link to view the profile expires after 30 days, invitees can’t edit the profile and reports are available to see exactly who viewed your profile and when.
Still, as CNET reports, Google Health is not regulated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and Google admits that some employees will have access to users’ records:
“Within Google, only the people who are operating and improving Google Health have access to user information, and they are bound by strict policies to not disclose this information to others, either within Google or to the outside world,” Google said in a help page.
As with all things Google, users need to weigh both sides of the issue, deciding whether the ease of tracking and controlling private medical data online is worth the inherent privacy risk. But current Google Health users have probably already made the trade-off, deciding that the ability to control and store their personal medical records online is more important than worrying about whether a Google employee knows if their cholesterol level is high.
If users are comfortable storing their private medical data online, sharing that same data with caregivers and loved ones doesn’t seem all that big a leap of faith. But it does promise some real efficiencies when it comes to making fast, informed healthcare decisions.
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