Approximately five years ago, clinicians at Boston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center started OpenNotes, an initiative that provides patients access to clinicians’ notes in an effort to accelerate transparency, as well as improve patient safety.
The researchers recently released key findings from the pilot program, which largely demonstrated the benefits of giving patients access to their notes.
Here are seven things to know about OpenNotes.
1. The program was launched in 2010, with more than 100 physicians at three BIDMC-affiliated hospitals providing 20,000 patients electronic links to their physician notes.
2. Sigall Bell, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and lead author of the study, told The Boston Globe OpenNotes isn’t a software or tool; rather, it is a “philosophy and commitment to transparency.”
3. After five years, patient responses to the program were generally positive, with many patients feeling more in control of their health and being better prepared for appointments.
4. According to the OpenNotes website, more than 60 percent of patients reported adhering to medication guidelines better because of OpenNotes. Additionally, 77 percent said they felt more in control of their care, 86 percent said having an open notes type of program would be a factor in choosing a physician or health plan and 99 percent of patients wanted OpenNotes to continue.
Read Akanksha Jayanthi’s full post here!
