In episode 139 of Seinfeld, Elaine reads her medical chart and finds that her doctor made a note indicating that she is “difficult”. The discovery sets off a series of events that only Seinfeld could conjure up; however, it raises an interesting question. What if patients were able to read their doctor’s notes? 
A study recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, set out to answer that question. For one year, more than 100 doctors from three organizations (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Massachusetts, Geisinger Health System (GHS) in Pennsylvania, and Harborview Medical Center (HMC) in Washington) invited their patients to access OpenNotes, an online portal that allows patients to read doctors’ notes. By all means, the study was a success. A survey found that participating patients accessed the notes frequently and a large majority said they saw clinical benefits in the program. Nearly 99% of patients said they wanted continued access to doctor notes in the future. Doctors were also positive in their reviews of the program. A large majority (85% at BIDMC, 91% at GHS, and 88% at HMC) reported that “making visit notes available to patients online is a good idea.” When BIDMC and GHS doctors were offered the option to decline further participation in the program, none took the offer. Doctors also stated that using OpenNotes was not an intrusion on their lives. Many anticipated that the program would lead to more patient questions, phone calls, and emails, but such traffic did not increase. The program caused some doctors to adjust the language in their notes. For example, some began to document a patients’ body mass index instead of using the term obese, which can be offensive. However, anecdotal evidence showed that patients who saw the term obese in their record were inspired to enroll in weight management programs and exercise. Despite limitations in the study, the authors believe there are benefits to medical record transparency, and that further study should be explored.
A study recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, set out to answer that question. For one year, more than 100 doctors from three organizations (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Massachusetts, Geisinger Health System (GHS) in Pennsylvania, and Harborview Medical Center (HMC) in Washington) invited their patients to access OpenNotes, an online portal that allows patients to read doctors’ notes. By all means, the study was a success. A survey found that participating patients accessed the notes frequently and a large majority said they saw clinical benefits in the program. Nearly 99% of patients said they wanted continued access to doctor notes in the future. Doctors were also positive in their reviews of the program. A large majority (85% at BIDMC, 91% at GHS, and 88% at HMC) reported that “making visit notes available to patients online is a good idea.” When BIDMC and GHS doctors were offered the option to decline further participation in the program, none took the offer. Doctors also stated that using OpenNotes was not an intrusion on their lives. Many anticipated that the program would lead to more patient questions, phone calls, and emails, but such traffic did not increase. The program caused some doctors to adjust the language in their notes. For example, some began to document a patients’ body mass index instead of using the term obese, which can be offensive. However, anecdotal evidence showed that patients who saw the term obese in their record were inspired to enroll in weight management programs and exercise. Despite limitations in the study, the authors believe there are benefits to medical record transparency, and that further study should be explored.
