Do You Want to Be Able to Read and Share Your Medical Records?

Patients want easy access to any notes their doctor has recorded about them, and they want the right to let others view their medical information, according to a pair of U.S. studies. Advocates of open-access medical records say they are not only a patient's right but will help boost the quality of care as well.

A pair of U.S. studies suggest that most people do, believing it would help to boost the quality of care that they're already receiving

Patients want easy access to any notes their doctor has recorded about them, and they want the right to let others view their medical information, according to a pair of U.S. studies. Advocates of open-access medical records say they are not only a patient's right but will help boost the quality of care as well.

"We believe there is abundant evidence that having patients actively participate in their care and know what's happening will improve their care," said Dr. Kenneth Shine, the executive vice chancellor for health affairs at the University of Texas System, who wrote an editorial accompanying the studies in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Patients have not always had an easy time getting hold of their medical records, especially the notes that doctors take during a visit, said one of the study's senior authors, Dr. Tom Delbanco at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School. "I think the doctors felt that they owned the notes," Delbanco told Reuters Health. "It seems obvious to me that to the extent we can let patients help carry the load we can avoid mistakes."...