  Objective: This paper gives context on recent literature regarding the
development of digital personal health libraries (PHL) and provides insights
into the potential application of consumer health informatics in diverse
clinical specialties. Materials and Methods: A systematic literature review was
conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and
Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Here, 2,850 records were retrieved from
PubMed and EMBASE in March 2020 using search terms: personal, health, and
library. Information related to the health topic, target population, study
purpose, library function, data source, data science method, evaluation
measure, and status were extracted from each eligible study. In addition,
knowledge discovery methods, including co-occurrence analysis and multiple
correspondence analysis, were used to explore research trends of PHL. Results:
After screening, this systematic review focused on a dozen articles related to
PHL. These encompassed health topics such as infectious diseases, congestive
heart failure, electronic prescribing. Data science methods included relational
database, information retrieval technology, ontology construction technology.
Evaluation measures were heterogeneous regarding PHL functions and settings. At
the time of writing, only one of the PHLs described in these articles is
available for the public while the others are either prototypes or in the pilot
stage. Discussion: Although PHL researches have used different methods to
address problems in diverse health domains, there is a lack of an effective PHL
to meet the needs of older adults. Conclusion: The development of PHLs may
create an unprecedented opportunity for promoting the health of older consumers
by providing diverse health information.
