Patients have unprecedented online access to their medical records. More than 6 million Americans can now read their doctors’ notes via patient portals, and continued rapid growth is likely. Sharing notes with patients may yield important health benefits, including increased patient empowerment and improved medication adherence. Seeing written information, including notes, helps patients remember the plan of care, reinforces patients’ positive behaviors, and strengthens the patient–doctor alliance.
medication adherence
HealthIT Outcomes: Open Notes Improves Medication Adherence
A pilot project testing the effectiveness of the Open Notes program found it had a positive effect on medication adherence. According to a two-year study conducted by Geisinger Health System, the Open Notes program increased medication adherence in 5 percent of those who used it. “Providing patients access to their doctors’ notes and reminding them…
Sharing Physician Notes Through an Electronic Portal is Associated With Improved Medication Adherence: Quasi-Experimental Study
Availability of notes following PCP visits was associated with improved adherence by patients prescribed antihypertensive, but not antihyperlipidemic, medications. As the use of fully transparent records spreads, patients invited to read their clinicians’ notes may modify their behaviors in clinically valuable ways.
Patients Who Share Transparent Visit Notes With Others: Characteristics, Risks, and Benefits
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 b
