The Electronic Health Record is globally accepted as a necessity:

• to better meet patient expectations,
• to expedite many tedious work processes such as prescription writing and creation of chart notes, service administration, research, planning and audit, communication between patients and providers, fiscal governance
• to create new ways in which the health of our patients can be improved
• to improve cost efficiency due to raising demands of healthcare and the aging population
• Portability - travel, second opinions, emigration, working abroad, distant working and support for developing countries and as part of aid, war, famine and assistance to refugees While professional experience with the EHR is generally positive, there are even more opportunities for improving care with the EHR once patients have access to their own records.

Evidence-based benefits include:

• Improving the relationship between clinician and patient
• Improving trust between patient and clinician
• Practical support for patients in managing their health
• Improving compliance
• Patients feel empowered to make decisions about their health?
• More efficient use of consulting time

The Record Access Collaborative is being developed as a service to the public, patients, health services and industry. The aim is to bring together those across the world who have an interest in seeing record access more widely available and maximising benefits that flow from it and to be instrumental in managing practical and technical aspects concerning patient record access in relation to local/national policies.
Read more on the goals of the RAC.

RAC Newsletter December 2007

Source:

“Welcome to the Record Access Collaborative Progress Report which covers the last 3 months or so. As always activity and developments in the field have been steady.
In the UK, Wales is developing full records access to practices. HealthSpace has begun its pilots, accompanied as always by controversy. EMIS/PAERS has gone national, switching on all EMIS practices for record access if they want to take it up.
In Europe, we feature France and Germany as they begin trials of record access. In the US, Microsoft and Google are entering the field, stimulating a lot of controversy, reflected here.
Patient experiences are featured again and remain very positive.
As an introduction, however, we feature 2 important contributions. The first is a letter from the GMC endorsing record access in principle – we see this as reassuring to clinicians. Also, a link to an interesting and balanced overview of record access from the BMJ.”
Newsletter
Brian Fisher, December 2007

7 January 2008 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA General, RA News, RAC, Record Access | EHR: EHR

RAC Newsletter July 2007

Source:

“As usual, there has been a lot going on, both in the UK and elsewhere.
In the UK, the highlights are perhaps:

• the Early Adopter sites for the Summary Care Record going live in 2 areas of the UK.
• The continuing enlargement of the 100 practice pilot enabling an increasing number of practices to enable full patient record access
• The pushing forward of the eHealthCard that is now being offered to practices in the UK
• The resignation of Richard Granger who runs the IT programme in the UK. This may offer a more open approach to IT development

In Europe, the recent ICMCC conference in Amsterdam highlighted record access and offered a number of concrete developments, in Estonia, the Czech Republic and in the Netherlands.
But first, developments outside Europe.”
Newsletter
Brian Fisher, July 2007

16 July 2007 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA General, RA News, RAC, Record Access | EHR: EHR

RAC Contribution by Denis Protti

Source:

A rare treat! We have an original article by Prof Denis Protti, Professor, Health Information Science at University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, written especially for this Record Access Collaborative edition.
[ More ]

4 June 2007 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA General, RA News, RAC, Record Access | EHR: EHR

RAC Newsletter March 2007

Source:

“The record access collaborative is being developed as a service to the public, patients, the NHS and industry. The aim is to bring together those who have an interest in seeing record access more widely available and maximising benefits that flow from it.
The NHS has made a clear statement of principle that patients should be able to access their records, subject to legal safety restrictions. There is good evidence of substantial benefits for patients.”
Newsletter
Brian Fisher, March 2007

29 March 2007 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA General, RA News, RAC, Record Access | EHR: EHR

OpenNotes project allows patients easy access to their medical records

Source: Cory Schultz, iMedicalApps

“Recording notes about a patient is standard practice among physicians and has often left patients curious about what is written down about them.
[ More ]

26 January 2012 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: United States | EHR: EHR, EHR USA | Tags: Access, Notes, Patient

Nearly 9 Million Kaiser Permanente Health Records Securely Available on Mobile Devices

Source: Kaiser Permanente

“Kaiser Permanente already has the largest electronic medical record system in the world. Today, the health care organization announced that 9 million Kaiser Permanente patients now can easily access their own medical information anywhere in the world on mobile devices through a mobile-optimized website.
[ More ]

24 January 2012 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: United States | EHR: EHR, EHR USA | Tags: Access, lab results, mHealth, Patient, smartphone

Kaiser Permanente offers patients Android app for EMR access

Source: Brian Dolan, mobihealthnews

“Kaiser Permanente announced today that its nearly 9 million patients can now securely access their electronic medical records (EMRs) from a new, free mobile app on their Android devices or from other mobile devices via a mobile-optimized site.
[ More ]

24 January 2012 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: United States | EHR: EHR, EHR USA | Tags: Access, Applications, lab results, mHealth, Patient, smartphone

When patients see their medical record

Source: Toni Brayer, KevinMD

“Traditionally, the patient chart stayed in the doctors office and rarely did a patient get a glimpse of anything in the record. Photocopying the chart is expensive and no physician would let a chart leave her office because the record must be held safely for a minimum of 7 years.
[ More ]

22 January 2012 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: United States | EHR: EHR, EHR USA | Tags: Access, Patient

All Over the Map: Patient Access to Clinical Lab Information

Source: Jane Newman, Dr Chrono

“Last September, the Department of Health and Human Services introduced an amendment to the CLIA Program and HIPAA Privacy Rule: Patients’ Access to Test Reports.
[ More ]

22 January 2012 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: United States | Tags: Access, lab results, Patient

Patient access concerns voiced by GPC

Source: Rebecca Todd, e-Health Insider Acute

“GP leaders have said they are concerned giving patients access to their online record could risk their medical history being used against them, and may create more work for GPs having to explain medical terms to worried patients.
[ More ]

22 January 2012 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access, UK EHR | Country: UK | EHR: EHR, EHR UK | Tags: Access, Patient, Risks

Health records access expanded for federal employees

Source: Maureen McKinney, ModernHealthcare

“Health insurance carriers that provide coverage for federal employees must soon begin offering their members additional downloading and data-sharing capabilities.
[ More ]

20 January 2012 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: United States | EHR: EHR, EHR USA | Tags: Access, Data Sharing, Patient

Docs push open-notes policy

Source: Sara Jackson, FierceHealthIT

“Physicians may be reluctant to share their notes openly with patients, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine that we reported on last month. Once they try it, however, they seem to like it.
[ More ]

19 January 2012 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: United States | Tags: Access, Notes, Patient

The Doctor Will Call You if Anything Is Wrong

Source: John Whyte, HuffingtonPost

“That’s still a common phrase you might from the doctor after you’ve have some lab test, biopsy or imaging study like a CT scan. Sometimes the doctor will say “If you don’t hear from me, everything is fine.” Well, given the complexity and comprehensiveness of medical exams nowadays, that’s probably not a good idea. And honestly, it’s never been a good idea to assume no news is good news.
[ More ]

19 January 2012 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: United States | EHR: EHR, EHR USA | Tags: Access, lab results, Patient

Parents want to see health files

Source: Andrew Tillett, The West Australian

“A family group has attacked plans to allow children as young as 14 to stop their parents from accessing their personal electronic health records.
[ More ]

15 January 2012 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: Australia | EHR: EHR, EHR Australia | Tags: Access, Adolescents, Patient, sealed-envelope

Allowing patients to access their medical records is risky

Source: Chris Lancelot, GP Online

“Patients will soon be able to view their medical records online, if the NHS Future Forum’s recent suggestion is adopted by the government.
[ More ]

15 January 2012 | 1 Comment »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access, UK EHR | Country: UK | EHR: EHR, EHR UK | Tags: Access, Patient, Risks

Teens to control own e-health records

Source: Peter Jean, The Canberra Times

“Teenagers will be able to stop their parents accessing their personally controlled electronic health records which are due this year.
[ More ]

15 January 2012 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: Australia | EHR: EHR, EHR Australia | Tags: Access, Adolescents, Patient

Patients should see medical records by 2015: report

Source: Rebecca Smith, The Telegraph

“Government advisers have said that access to GP medical records online is a vital ‘first step’ towards patients feeling that they truly own information held about them.
[ More ]

11 January 2012 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access, UK EHR | Country: UK | EHR: EHR, EHR UK | Tags: Access, Patient

NHS patients need online access to records by 2015

Source: Public Service

“NHS patients must be given access to their own medical records online before the end of this Parliament to enable them to better manage their own health, the NHS Future Forum has urged.
[ More ]

11 January 2012 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access, UK EHR | Country: UK | EHR: EHR, EHR UK | Tags: Access, GP, Patient

NeHTA rejects electronic health record fears

Source: Chloe Herrick, Computerworld

“The National E-Health Transition Authority (NeHTA) will maintain its current design for personal e-health records despite acknowledging concerns that increased consumer control over health information could potentially result in poorer health outcomes for patients.
[ More ]

10 January 2012 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: Australia | EHR: EHR, EHR Australia

Project Puts Records in the Patients’ Hands

Source: Roni Caryn Rabin, The New York Times

“In an old “Seinfeld” episode, Elaine goes to see a dermatologist about a rash, and is left sitting on the table in the exam room, alone with her medical chart. She opens the folder and almost immediately makes a sour face.
“ ‘Difficult’?” she says, reading aloud.
[ More ]

10 January 2012 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: United States | EHR: EHR, EHR USA | Tags: Access, Notes, Patient

Federal health care IT spending set to grow

Source: Angela Petty, The Washington Post

“With money tight, congressional appropriators rarely insist that agencies spend money. Yet the omnibus spending bill passed Dec. 17 approved $100 million for a joint Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs effort to develop digital medical records — even though they missed deadlines for requesting the money.
[ More ]

9 January 2012 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: United States | EHR: EHR, EHR USA | Tags: Access, Costs, Efficiency, Patient

Risks and benefits of direct access to lab results

Source: Patricia Salber, KevinMD

“I am a big fan of DIY (do-it-yourself) healthcare, at least for the bulk relatively minor issues that plague people. I think the days when doctors were needed to control, interpret and dole out health data and information are waning. There are simply too many ways, primarily via the internet, to get good, reliable, easy-to-understand information about our own health.
[ More ]

5 January 2012 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: United States | Tags: Access, Benefits, lab results, Patient, Risks

Patients should have online access to medical records, says report

Source: Denis Campbell, The Guardian

“NHS patients will be allowed to see and edit their medical records under proposals in a government-commissioned report.
The plan is contained in a report that an expert advisory group, headed by Professor Steve Field, the coalition’s NHS troubleshooter, is finalising before handing it to the Department of Health.
[ More ]

23 December 2011 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access, UK EHR | Country: UK | EHR: EHR, EHR UK | Tags: Access, Patient

Rookie e-patient @Xeni helps the docs view her data

Source: e-Patient Dave, e-patients.net

“What a rocket ride it’s been for Xeni. Tuesday morning we reported on the BoingBoing co-editor’s unexpected breast cancer diagnosis 12/9, and her odyssey reading her scan data. (CDs didn’t come with software; in a few hours with Twitter help she’d downloaded OsiriX and was pushing her way through it.)
[ More ]

23 December 2011 | No Comments »
Categories: News, RA News, Record Access | Country: United States | Tags: e-patient, Oncology

Lessons learned from usability testing of the VA’s personal health record

Source: Haggstrom DA et al, J Am Med Inform Assoc, 18 Suppl 1

In order to create user-centered design information to guide the development of personal health records (PHRs), 24 patients participated in usability assessments of VA’s MyHealtheVet program. Observational videos and efficiency measures were collected among users performing four PHR scenarios: registration and log-in, prescription refill, tracking health, and searching for health information. Twenty-five percent of users successfully completed registration. Individuals preferred prescription numbers over names, sometimes due to privacy concerns.
[ More ]

6 January 2012 | No Comments »
Categories: Patients, RA Research, Record Access, Science | Country: United States | EHR: EHR, EHR USA | Tags: Access, Patient, phr, Usability

Access to the Medical Record for Patients and Involved Providers: Transparency Through Electronic Tools

Source: Feeley TW et al, Annals of Internal Medicine, 155(12)

Physicians’ notes are one of the oldest tools in medicine and have evolved into today’s electronic medical record. As we move toward greater transparency in health care, one emerging concept is that sharing information among patients, caregivers, and involved clinicians can improve efficiency, decrease redundancy, and decrease cost. The concept of improving health care delivery by sharing the medical record with the patient is not new.
[ More ]

20 December 2011 | No Comments »
Categories: RA Research, Record Access, Science | Country: United States | EHR: EHR, EHR USA | Tags: Access, emr, Notes, Patient, Physicians, Provider, Transparency

Inviting Patients to Read Their Doctors’ Notes: Patients and Doctors Look Ahead

Source: Walker J et al, Annals of Internal Medicine, 155(12)

Background:
Little is known about what primary care physicians (PCPs) and patients would expect if patients were invited to read their doctors’ office notes.

Objective:
To explore attitudes toward potential benefits or harms if PCPs offered patients ready access to visit notes.

Design:
he PCPs and patients completed surveys before joining a voluntary program that provided electronic links to doctors’ notes.
[ More ]

20 December 2011 | No Comments »
Categories: Patients, RA Research, Record Access, Science | Country: United States | Tags: Access, Notes, Patient, Primary Care

Analysis of the definition and utility of personal health records using q methodology

Source: Kim J, Bates DW. J Med Internet Res, 13(4)

BACKGROUND
Personal health records (PHRs) remain a relatively new technology and concept in practice even though they have been discussed in the literature for more than 50 years. There is no consensus on the definition of a PHR or PHR system even within the professional societies of health information technology.

OBJECTIVE
Our objective was to analyze and classify the opinions of health information professionals regarding the definitions of the PHR.
[ More ]

1 December 2011 | No Comments »
Categories: Patients, RA Research, Record Access, Science | EHR: EHR | Tags: phr

The challenges in making electronic health records accessible to patients

Source: Beard L et al, J Am Med Inform Assoc, 19(1)

It is becoming increasingly apparent that there is a tension between growing consumer demands for access to information and a healthcare system that may not be prepared to meet these demands. Designing an effective solution for this problem will require a thorough understanding of the barriers that now stand in the way of giving patients electronic access to their health data.
[ More ]

27 November 2011 | No Comments »
Categories: Patients, RA Research, Record Access, Science | Tags: Access, Patient