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The author discusses recent progress in personal health records (PHR). The column is structured as follows: first, a look at what is driving health reform concluding with the need to make "value" the first priority. The role of citizens and patients in the value drive is then discussed. They must be empowered to act as co-producers in cooperation with healthcare professionals. Lastly, the role of the PHR and services based on the PHR will be elaborated.

CEN committee TC 251 Medical Informatics, has set up a project team charged with producing a European pre-standard ENV on Healthcare Information Framework (HIF). The HIF is based on abstraction from a specific information system architecture to a reference architecture and further to a conceptual architectural framework based on serving open, distributed and heterogeneous healthcare enterprises. To specify the suitable healthcare information system architecture modelling of the healthcare enterprise is required. As there is no one method serving all needs, the HIF gives guidance on what aspects to look at in selecting a suitable modelling method. It is expected that the work will be completed by early 1995.