A recent analysis of more than 20,000 patients reading clinicians’ notes provided exciting insights into how patients believe reading notes impacts their use of prescription medications. I was pleased to lead that study and publish it at the end of May in the Annals of Internal Medicine, accompanied by an editorial by David Blumenthal, MD and Melinda Abrams from the Commonwealth Fund. In this issue of the Observer, we tell you about the study and introduce you to its main findings. You’ll find a video interview featuring OpenNotes co-founder Tom Delbanco and me on the left sidebar of the article linked above.
We also interview Scott Fields, MD, an invaluable champion of OpenNotes, currently serving as the Chief Medical Officer at OCHIN, the national organization helping federally qualified health centers to mobilize electronic health records to full advantage.
We’re excited to share an animated Public Service Announcement about OpenNotes, a first for us. We hope you enjoy it and share it with others. And finally, more than 40 million Americans now have access to their clinicians’ notes through online electronic portals on which they’ve registered!
