Table 1

Characteristics of included studies

Chronic disease areaStudySettingEligible participantsInterventionComparisonReported outcomes
DiabetesDijkstra et al8 9Cluster RCT; 9 hospitals Dijkstra 2005) and 13 hospitals (Dijkstra 2006); The Netherlands1350 patients (Dijkstra et al8) and 1305 patients (Dijkstra et al9) under the care of an internist for diabetic monitoringPHR with additional education; healthcare staff received education about diabetes careUsual care

  • Dijkstra 2005: outcome indicators such as HbA1c, and other biochemical markers, and process indicators such as physical examinations.

  • Dijkstra 2006: cost-effectiveness of the PHR; healthcare utilisation; modelling of healthcare utilisation costs.

DiabetesDijkstra et al10Cluster RCT; 40 general practices; The Netherlands2059 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitusPHR with healthcare staff education and external treatment monitoringUsual careHealth service usage, and various physiological, physical and behavioural measurements
DiabetesSimmons et al11Cluster RCT; numerous general practices in urban, provincial and rural areas; New Zealand398 patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus and poor glucose controlPHR and control booklet; instructions on how to use the treatmentControl booklets only; instructions on how to use the treatmentHbA1c levels, knowledge and attitude to diabetes, and various physiological and behavioural measures
OncologyCornbleet et al12RCT; numerous outpatient oncology centres or hospice home-care services; Scotland231 adult patients with cancer attending an outpatient clinic or receiving home hospice carePHRUsual careCommunication and patient satisfaction
OncologyDrury et al13RCT; numerous radiotherapy clinics; UKSix hundred and fifty patients with cancer receiving radiotherapy as outpatientsPHRUsual carePatient satisfaction and quality of life
OncologyLecouturier et al 200214RCT; general community and hospitals; UKHundred and eighty-eight adult patients with cancer of any type from the community; adult patients with colorectal or lung cancer from hospitalsPHR with healthcare staff instructing patients how to use the PHRUsual carePatient satisfaction with care and communication
OncologyWilliams et al 200115RCT; one hospital; UKFive hundred and one adult patients with cancerPHRUsual carePatient quality of life, views and perspectives on PHR use and preferences, and health service resource use
OncologyFinlay and Wyatt16Crossover RCT; setting not reportedSeventy-eight patients with cancer at various stagesPHRUnstructured informal recordPatients' preferences of the format of the PHR, advantages and disadvantages of the PHR, and PHR utilisation by patients and healthcare staff
Oncologyvan Wersch et al17Cohort; two hospitals; The NetherlandsHundred and twenty-five head and neck patients with cancerPHR with organisational and educational resourcesUsual careBroad outcomes measuring patients' use of the intervention, how the intervention helped with patients' treatment course, communication with healthcare staff and other professionals
Mental healthLester et al 200318Cluster RCT; 74 general practices and six community mental health localities; UKTwo hundred and one patients with schizophreniaPHRUsual carePatient satisfaction, psychopathology, and use of primary and secondary care
Mental healthWarner et al19Cluster RCT; 28 general practices; UKNinety patients with long-term mental illnessPHR and written and verbal explanation on how to use the PHRUsual careVarious behavioural/psychopathology, psychiatric, satisfaction, and healthcare use measures
Rheumatoid arthritisRiemsma et al20CT; two outpatient clinics; The NetherlandsHundred and forty-one patients with rheumatoid arthritis who attended outpatient clinics of rheumatologistsPHR and education, and healthcare staff received education about the PHR and treatment strategies for rheumatoid arthritisUsual careVarious patient behavioural measures, attitudes and opinions about their care and about the PHR. Also measured was the utilisation of various healthcare staff during the study.
StrokeAyana et al21Cohort trial with a historical control; one hospital; UKTwo hundred and fifty-two patients with stroke from general medical and geriatric medicine inpatient wardsPHRUsual careVarious patient behavioural measures, attitudes and opinions about their care and about the PHR. Also measured was the utilisation of various healthcare staff during the study.
Palliative careLatimer et al22RCT; one hospital; CanadaFourty-six palliative care patientsPHRUsual careMeasures of patients' mood, certainty of illness, healthcare and social service utilisation, and satisfaction with care