Health information faqs

What is an electronic health record (EHR)?
An electronic health record, or EHR, is a digital version of your medical chart. These records have information about your health and care you have received. If you see a lot of health care providers, you may have many EHRs. Your health care providers, pharmacists, medical labs, and hospitals usually can see your EHRs.

Will you be studying my disease or condition?
Researchers will use the data collected by the All of Us Research Program to study many different diseases and conditions. It is up to each researcher to decide what they study.

How will the All of Us Research Program help me?
The All of Us Research Program is not medical treatment. You will not get direct medical benefit from taking part in the All of Us Research Program.

That said, you may indirectly benefit from taking part in the All of Us Research Program. For example, we will give you ways to see the information you share with us and the information we learn about you. This information may be interesting to you. You may learn about your health. If you choose, you will be able to share your All of Us Research Program information with your health care team. You will have the option to learn about additional research opportunities. Finally, you will be helping researchers make discoveries that may help future generations.

How can I enroll in a clinical trial for my specific disease or condition? 
A clinical trial is a type of research study. Clinical trials look at specific medical treatments to see if they are safe and effective for humans. All of Us is a research program. It is not a clinical trial.

If you join the All of Us Research Program, we will ask you if you want to hear about chances to take part in other research. If you say yes, we will let you know about other research studies. You can then decide if you want to join those studies. You can say yes or no and still be part of the All of Us Research Program. You can search for clinical trials at clinicaltrials.gov.

If I am already enrolled in another study, can I still participate in the All of Us Research Program? 
You can join the All of Us Research Program even if you are in other health studies. If you are already in another study, you may want to talk with your health care team before joining the All of Us Research Program. The All of Us Research Program is not a study, so you should still be able to join.

If I am already installed in another research program, why should I join the All of Us Research Program? 
Instead of focusing on just one disease or condition, the All of Us Research Program will help a lot of researchers study many different things about health. The All of Us Research Program is also unique because it will last for at least 10 years. It will include participants from lots of different backgrounds.

Will the All of Us Research Program communicate directly with my health care team?
No, but you can choose to share your information with your health care team.