The current legal framework will need ongoing revision if it is to facilitate complete patient access to physician notes and medical records, according to the authors of the research. Open note sharing and medical record access have been linked to greater patient engagement, better clinical outcomes and an increased sense of control over one’s health for patients.
“I think the default should be for patients to have complete access to their electronic medical records, and the benefits would likely greatly outweigh any harm,” lead author Bryan Lee, MD, told Reuters.
One element of patient records that remains legally ambiguous is patients’ ability to edit and add their own content, and another is parental control over minors’ records.
More articles on EHRs:
FDA releases guidance on using EHRs in clinical trials
38% of execs want telemedicine programs built onto their EHRs & 6 other survey takeaways
Can EHRs predict flu outbreaks?
