First, beginning about five years ago, came the OpenNotes study. Researchers found that when they gave patients access to their primary care doctors’ written notes, the patients said they got better at taking care of themselves, particularly at taking medications correctly. And contrary to some doctors’ fears, the notes did not tend to cause offense…
Jan Walker
JMIR Publications: Patients Who Share Transparent Visit Notes With Others
ABSTRACT Background: Inviting patients to read their primary care visit notes may improve communication and help them engage more actively in their health care. Little is known about how patients will use the opportunity to share their visit notes with family members or caregivers, or what the benefits might be. Objective: Our goal was to…
The Doctor is Listening: More on OpenNotes & Surprising Results of What Doctors Think
Recently, I wrote on NPR’s Shots Blog about the movement towards open medical records and the pioneering work of OpenNotes by Dr. Tom Delbanco and Jan Walker. Here’s an excellent RWJF podcast about why they decided getting health care providers to share their notes with patients, and where their work is headed next. Here’s a…
2014 RWJF Pioneering Ideas Podcast: What if? Shifting Perspectives to Change the World
RWJF’s Emmy Ganos talks to Tom Delbanco and Jan Walker of OpenNotes about the original spark that inspired them to create this national initiative, what they’ve learned as OpenNotes has spread to more and more hospitals and health systems, and where their pioneering work is heading next. Listen to the full podcast here!
Making Mental Health Notes Available to Patients
BIDMC launches pilot, advocates for openness Writing for “A Piece of My Mind,” appearing April 2 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), lead author and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center psychiatrist, Michael Kahn, MD, urges mental health clinicians to begin sharing the visit notes they write with their patients. “Nationally, the momentum…
Clinical Corner: OpenNotes at BIDMC
Q & A with Tom Delbanco and Jan Walker You probably know that your doctors, nurses and other care providers write a note after an appointment or discussion, and that the note becomes part of your medical record. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is one of the first hospitals in the United States to invite patients…
The Road toward Fully Transparent Medical Records
Patients who were given access to their physicians’ notes reported having better recall and understanding of their care plans, feeling more in control of their health care, and adhering better to medication regimens. Doctors reported little effect on their work lives.
NEJM: The Road toward Fully Transparent Medical Records
“Forty years ago, Shenkin and Warner argued that giving patients their medical records ‘would lead to more appropriate utilization of physicians and a greater ability of patients to participate in their own care.’ At that time, patients in most states could obtain their records only through litigation, but the rules gradually changed, and in…
Consumer Reports: The doctor will e-mail you now
Though they may be late to the party, this year you can expect your doctors to join your bank, your credit-card company, your insurance company, and probably even your supermarket and hairdresser in connecting with you online. In fact, you may find your doctor actively encouraging you to send her an e-mail. Why? Starting this…
The American Nurse: OpenNotes initiative aims to improve patient-clinician communication, care
“Opening visit notes really breaks down the barrier in which patients see doctors and other clinicians as having all the answers…I’d really like nurses to think about patients having access to their visit notes…” – Jan Walker Read more about what nurses from the VA and BIDMC are saying about the OpenNotes movement in the American…
