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When Doctors Share their Notes

Patients may eventually be able to read their medical records with the notes their doctors use to guide treatment. Although several health care systems provide patients Web access to make appointments, pay bills and even see their lab results, the idea that they might also be able to read clinic notes is extremely controversial. Now a study is looking at what happens when patients get easy access to this information. They already have a legal right to their medical records, but getting the information is often difficult and can be costly.
The new study is called OpenNotes and was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The study will compare patients with and without access to notes in three large health care systems with electronic records: Beth Israel Deaconess in Boston, Geisinger in Danville, Pennsylvania and Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Will the quality of care improve, or will physicians and patients simply annoy each other? Many doctors and health systems will be watching to see whether this experiment improves doctor-patient communication or if it merely confuses patients and adds to the doctors’ work load.
[Annals of Internal Medicine, July 21, 2010]

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About the Author
Terry Graedon, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and co-host of The People’s Pharmacy radio show, co-author of The People’s Pharmacy syndicated newspaper columns and numerous books, and co-founder of The People’s Pharmacy website. Terry taught in the Duke University School of Nursing and was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology. She is a Fellow of the Society of Applied Anthropology. Terry is one of the country's leading authorities on the science behind folk remedies..
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