A new program called OpenNotes helps patients be more engaged
Ever wondered what your doctor is saying about you in all of those typed or scribbled notes? You may be able to find out soon, if you can’t already.
OpenNotes is a national movement encouraging physicians to share medical records and the observations they record after patient visits. It was co-founded by Dr. Tom Delbanco, of Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and Jan Walker, a registered nurse and faculty member in the same department.
“Doctors have traditionally believed that the notes they make about their patients are just for them and patients have not been invited to read them,” says Delbanco. But that’s changing. Patients are beginning to demand access to all their records. They have a legal right to them.
Delbanco has been intrigued for years by the idea of doctors being fully transparent with patients. He believes transparency is the basic foundation for a good doctor-patient relationship. Now, with a shift in medical culture moving toward full patient participation in care and the ability of computers to make information sharing easier, OpenNotes is gaining traction across the country.
Read Barbara Sadick’s full article here.
