When Stacey Whiteman was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis two years ago, she didn’t realize the toughest challenge would be its impact on her brain. The 53-year-old from Massachusetts was forced to quit work as an executive assistant after becoming easily confused and prone to forget, even about priorities like doctor appointments.
When her physician suggested OpenNotes, an electronic portal allowing patients full access to their medical records, including doctors’ notes, Whiteman was eager to log on.
“For somebody like me who has a hard time processing things, I need this convenience,” she said. Whiteman now refers to OpenNotes daily, to review what happened during appointments, be reminded of future ones and check lab results.
Patient access to physician notes, historically rare, has led to more collaborative doctor-patient relationships and more engaged health care consumers, according to a new paper online February 10 in the British Medical Journal.
Read Randi Belisomo’s full article here!
