By Leslie Kernisan, MD, MPH I support the fundamental tenets of OpenNotes and hope that all patients will have access to their notes within the next few years. To me the great overall value — both ethically and in terms of better health outcomes — of OpenNotes is a no-brainer. Read the full blog post…
patient engagement
ePatient Dave: Let Patients Help
Congratulations to e-Patient Dave for the publication of his new book, Let Patients Help! This “patient engagement” handbook is written for doctors, nurses, patients, and caregivers and provides concise reasons, tips & methods for making patient engagement effective. To learn more about Let Patients Help or order a prerelease copy please click here.
JMIR: Patient Experiences With Full Electronic Access to Health Records and Clinical Notes
A recent publication by Sue Woods, MD and colleagues in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, investigated VA patient experiences with full electronic access to health records, including clinical notes. Patients overwhelmingly felt that having more, rather than less, of their health record information provided significant benefits. As one participating patient described: I can…
e-Patient Dave on PBS: “My Health Counts”
Listen to the e-patient stories of Dave deBronkart, Lygeia Ricciardi (official consumer e-health guru at HHS) and Buffalo resident Tom Dixon on PBS, hosted by Susan Hunt. Check out the video here.
Health Affairs Blog: Not In My Name: Real Patient-Centeredness Means Sharing Power
By Michael Millenson, February 26, 2013 The OpenNotes initiative declares quite simply that every notation the doctor makes during the patient’s visit can not only be seen by the patient, but commented upon. As the president of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston put it, “Everything that we have and know about you as…
Health IT.gov Clinical Documentation Hearing: Testimony from an OpenNotes Patient
Candice Wolk, a patient in the OpenNotes study, presented testimony at the Clinical Documentation Hearing held in Washington, DC. Candice shared her personal story of how OpenNotes equipped her to be her own health-care advocate. Read Candice’s testimony below: Dear Health IT Policy Committee members, My name is Candice Wolk. I am humbled by…
VA Introduces New and Enhanced Features for VA Blue Button
Veterans can now also access VA OpenNotes, which ‘opens’ clinical notes, allowing Veterans to read their health care team’s notes from appointments and hospital stays. VA OpenNotes provides Veterans the ability to read and discuss notes with their health care teams, family and caregivers, offering them greater control over their health care. Read the press…
How Nurses Can Empower Patients Through Shared Notes
By Jan Walker & Suzanne Leveille of OpenNotes, January 2nd, 2012 As nurses, we’ve always been focused on the patient. Teaching patients about their health and advocating for patients are both incredibly important parts of the job. That’s why we got involved with OpenNotes-an initiative that invites patients to review the visit notes written by their…
WSJ: Ten Ways Patients Get Treated Better
By Laura Landro, December 18, 2012 Health-care innovations aren’t limited to drugs and devices. Experts increasingly are adopting new ways to treat patients that studies show are better at healing the sick, preventing disease, improving patients’ quality of life and lowering costs. Here are 10 innovations that took root in 2012 and are changing the…
OpenNotes: Access, Action, & Attitudes
“We need to understand how to communicate better with patients. We have a new mandate.” – Mark Zeidel, MD, BIDMC On October 11, 2012, the OpenNotes team held a meeting to discuss the final results of our year-long OpenNotes study, and explore how to make shared visit notes a more routine part of patient…
