Integrating personal health records into clinical pharmacy practice: A scoping review of pharmacists’ roles

PURPOSE: Personal health records (PHRs) enhance patient engagement by allowing individuals to manage their health data, including medications, laboratory results, and treatment plans. Despite increasing PHR adoption, the role of pharmacists in PHR-based interventions remains underexplored. This scoping review aimed to characterize how PHRs have been used in pharmacy practice and the roles pharmacists have played in PHR-facilitated patient care. SUMMARY: Ten studies met the inclusion criteria, 9 conducted in the United States and 1 in China. Since 2020, application-based PHR platforms have become more prominent, particularly among patients with chronic conditions. The predominant PHR type was a hospital-integrated patient portal incorporating reminders and secure messaging. Across studies, pharmacists contributed to clinical reviews, therapeutic drug monitoring, adverse drug reaction (ADR) management, medication reconciliation, and patient education. Recent research highlighted increasing use of patient-reported outcomes, with a focus on adverse drug events, adherence, and pharmacist-patient communication. CONCLUSION: This review found that PHRs have been used in pharmacy practice to support medication safety, optimize therapeutic outcomes, and promote patient-centered care. Standardizing pharmacist-led interventions and addressing barriers such as interoperability, patient engagement, and digital literacy are critical next steps for integrating PHRs into clinical pharmacy practice.