Accessing personal medical records online: A means to what ends?

Shah, Syed Ghulam Sarwar; Fitton, Richard; Hannan, Amir; Fisher, Brian L.; Barnett, Julie

doi:10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2014.10.005

Cited by 59 publications

(65 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…The table reveals that respondents with certain conditions, such as cancer or a psychiatric condition, belong to the more frequent users. The main reasons for using Journalen, among the respondents (getting an overview, follow-up on visits, and getting involved in the care process) are well in line with results from earlier interviews with patients [19] as well as studies from other countries [26,27]. It is clear that searching for errors is not a main reason to use the service and that most patients who answered the survey have not been worried due to something they have read in Journalen.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

Patients’ Experiences of Accessing Their Electronic Health Records: National Patient Survey in Sweden (Preprint)

Moll¹,

Rexhepi²,

Cajander³

et al. 2017

Preprint

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Background: In 2012, Region Uppsala was the first county council in Sweden to introduce patient accessible electronic health records (PAEHRs). By summer 2016 all but four out of 21 county councils had given citizens the possibility to access their medical information online. Numerous studies on the effect of PAEHRs on the work environment of healthcare professionals have been carried out, but up until now no extensive studies have been carried out regarding the patient's experiences with using PAEHRs. Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate patients' experiences of accessing their online electronic health records through the Swedish national patient portal. In this paper, the focus is on describing user characteristics, usage, and attitudes towards the system. Methods: A national patient survey was designed, based on an earlier interview and survey studies with patients and healthcare professionals. Data was collected during a five months period, June-October 2016. The survey was made available online on the login page to the patient accessible electronic health record system (Journalen) in Sweden. Patients from all county councils in Sweden could reach the survey. Results: 2587 users answered the survey. Two participants were excluded from the analysis, since they had only received care in a county council which did not yet show any information in Journalen. The results show that the majority of the users are women (67%) and there is a clear indication that a large amount of the users work or have worked within healthcare. Most users use Journalen infrequently (72%) and the main reason for use is to get an overview of one's health status. Furthermore, lab results was shown to be the most important type of information to have access to. The majority of the respondents (69%) want access to new information within a day. A vast majority of the users are positive towards Journalen; 87% strongly agree and 8% agree to the statement "Getting access to Journalen is good for me". Conclusions:The respondents provide several important reasons for why they use Journalen and why it is important for them to be able to access information in this way -several relate to patient empowerment, involvement, and security. Also considering the overall positive attitude, we can conclude that Journalen -and most probably other similar systems as well -fill important needs for patients. It is clear that patients appreciate the possibilities that Journalen gives.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

Patients’ Experiences of Accessing Their Electronic Health Records: National Patient Survey in Sweden (Preprint)

Moll¹,

Rexhepi²,

Cajander³

et al. 2017

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Online access enables patients to book appointments online; request repeat prescriptions; and view test results, letters, problems lists, and free text GP entries [33], although there are wide variations in degree of access provided by GP surgeries [34]. Patients who use online access report higher levels of satisfaction [35] and improved communication with healthcare professionals [31].…”

Section: Potential Benefits Of Online Accessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Benefits to patients include being able to use the online record as an aide memoir and to help them prepare for their next appointment [36] [34]. Patients like the convenience of online access, stating that it saves time and money, and reduces the number of telephone calls and appointments required [31] [34].…”

Section: Potential Benefits Of Online Accessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Patients like the convenience of online access, stating that it saves time and money, and reduces the number of telephone calls and appointments required [31] [34]. Online access can also be empowering and increase patients feelings of autonomy, with one study noting that 77-87% of patients with online access feel more in control of their care [37].…”

Section: Potential Benefits Of Online Accessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We need to engage with health economists to ascertain the full economic potential of online access and the impact it may have on the primary care business model. Although some studies using self-report measures exist [34] [36] [43], further research is also needed to examine how patients actually interact with their online record and the functionality they would like to see. The impact of online access on the patient-clinician relationship and the power dynamic is also worthy of further investigation, especially with regards to the impact of enabling access to the full free-text record.…”

Section: Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Primary Care Patient Records in the United Kingdom: Past, Present, and Future Research Priorities (Preprint)

McMillan¹,

Eastham²,

Brown³

et al. 2018

Preprint

Self Cite

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This article briefly outlines the history of the medical record and the factors contributing to the adoption of computerised records in primary care in the United Kingdom. It discusses how both paper-based and electronic health records have traditionally been used in the past and goes on to examine how enabling patients to access their own primary care records online is changing the form and function of the patient record. It looks at the evidence for the benefits of online access and discusses some of the challenges faced in this transition. Finally, some suggestions are made regarding the future of the patient record and research questions that need to be addressed to help deepen our understanding of how they can be used more beneficially by both patients and clinicians.

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Involving Older Users in Design of Patient Accessible Electronic Health Records: Exploring the Potential of Open‐Ended Questions

Eriksson‐Backa,

Enwald,

Hirvonen

et al. 2023

Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Tech

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Despite older adults being one of the most important groups of users of eHealth services, including patient accessible electronic health records, these are claimed to not be designed to suit older users, and to not necessarily fulfill their information needs. User‐centered design methods often utilized when developing eHealth services have also been claimed to not work well for older adults. This paper suggests an alternative way of collecting ideas and feedback on eHealth from older adults, by including open‐ended questions in the data collection of larger studies on eHealth information behavior. When data are collected by methods like focus group interviews and surveys, older adults can be requested to envision an eHealth service that suits their needs. Results from studies in Finland are presented, and show that current eHealth services do not fulfill all information needs of older adults, as answers to the question in both focus group interviews and surveys contain practical suggestions for additional and more comprehensible information, easier ways of searching for needed information, and alternative channels for communication. Open‐ended questions can be a cost‐effective and timesaving way to help in the design and development of patient accessible electronic health records and other types of eHealth services.

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Accessing personal medical records online: A means to what ends?

Cited by 59 publications

References 25 publications

Patients’ Experiences of Accessing Their Electronic Health Records: National Patient Survey in Sweden (Preprint)

Patients’ Experiences of Accessing Their Electronic Health Records: National Patient Survey in Sweden (Preprint)

Primary Care Patient Records in the United Kingdom: Past, Present, and Future Research Priorities (Preprint)

Involving Older Users in Design of Patient Accessible Electronic Health Records: Exploring the Potential of Open‐Ended Questions

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