BMJ 2017;358:j3987 doi: 10.1136/bmj.j3987 (Published 2017 August 24)
Page 1 of 1
Letters
LETTERS COLLABORATIVE HEALTH
Patients are positive about accessing their records Richard Fitton retired general practitioner Crowden SK13 1HZ, UK
Millenson discusses patient centred care.1 With North Derbyshire Family Health Services Authority, patients helped me to plan, design, and manage a purpose built, patient centred medical centre in Derbyshire from 1993 to 2006. The practice had an information room with a touch screen information booth, a library, patient volunteers, and four or five specialist patient training groups, including a computer group. Patients sat on the Department of Health’s Copying Letters to Patients Working Group and a working group with the General Medical Council on patients accessing records. With a practice in Oxford, they undertook the first Electronic Record Implementation Pilot for the NHS Information Authority to put patient records on an NHS server so that patients could view their records online—50% of patients understood the whole record, and 75% understood most of the record. Patients were able to find 87% of the components of their Quality and Outcomes Framework pathways without training, and 30% found errors.
study provided qualitative evidence of the active ways in which patients access their electronic health records, many of which are in line with proportionate health management strategies. Access to personal electronic health records may contribute to the development of new expectations among patients. Most people are capable of taking active roles in their care; their activity, blood tests, peak flows, and weight measurements can complement medical records without committing doctors to react to the extra information. The trick is to delegate but not abdicate responsibility and to maintain continued routine care. Patients are the only party that are present at every medical interaction that involves them, and “activated patients” have fewer care episodes. Competing interests: None declared. 1
Millenson ML. When “patient centred” is no longer enough: the challenge of collaborative health: an essay by Michael L Millenson. BMJ 2017;358:j3048. doi:10.1136/bmj.j3048 pmid: 28679500. Shah SG, Fitton R, Hannan A, Fisher B, Young T, Barnett J. Accessing personal medical records online: a means to what ends?Int J Med Inform 2015;358:111-8. doi:10.1016/j. ijmedinf.2014.10.005 pmid:25453275.
Patients were taught to measure their blood pressure, weight, height, and body mass index and to assess their heart risks.
2
Overall, patients were positive about accessing records.2 We found four main themes relating to the ways in which patients accessed their records: making savings, checking past activity, preparing for future action, and setting new expectations. The
Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/ permissions
[email protected] For personal use only: See rights and reprints http://www.bmj.com/permissions
Subscribe: http://www.bmj.com/subscribe
Page 1 of 1
Letters
LETTERS COLLABORATIVE HEALTH
Patients are positive about accessing their records Richard Fitton retired general practitioner Crowden SK13 1HZ, UK
Millenson discusses patient centred care.1 With North Derbyshire Family Health Services Authority, patients helped me to plan, design, and manage a purpose built, patient centred medical centre in Derbyshire from 1993 to 2006. The practice had an information room with a touch screen information booth, a library, patient volunteers, and four or five specialist patient training groups, including a computer group. Patients sat on the Department of Health’s Copying Letters to Patients Working Group and a working group with the General Medical Council on patients accessing records. With a practice in Oxford, they undertook the first Electronic Record Implementation Pilot for the NHS Information Authority to put patient records on an NHS server so that patients could view their records online—50% of patients understood the whole record, and 75% understood most of the record. Patients were able to find 87% of the components of their Quality and Outcomes Framework pathways without training, and 30% found errors.
study provided qualitative evidence of the active ways in which patients access their electronic health records, many of which are in line with proportionate health management strategies. Access to personal electronic health records may contribute to the development of new expectations among patients. Most people are capable of taking active roles in their care; their activity, blood tests, peak flows, and weight measurements can complement medical records without committing doctors to react to the extra information. The trick is to delegate but not abdicate responsibility and to maintain continued routine care. Patients are the only party that are present at every medical interaction that involves them, and “activated patients” have fewer care episodes. Competing interests: None declared. 1
Millenson ML. When “patient centred” is no longer enough: the challenge of collaborative health: an essay by Michael L Millenson. BMJ 2017;358:j3048. doi:10.1136/bmj.j3048 pmid: 28679500. Shah SG, Fitton R, Hannan A, Fisher B, Young T, Barnett J. Accessing personal medical records online: a means to what ends?Int J Med Inform 2015;358:111-8. doi:10.1016/j. ijmedinf.2014.10.005 pmid:25453275.
Patients were taught to measure their blood pressure, weight, height, and body mass index and to assess their heart risks.
2
Overall, patients were positive about accessing records.2 We found four main themes relating to the ways in which patients accessed their records: making savings, checking past activity, preparing for future action, and setting new expectations. The
Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/ permissions
[email protected] For personal use only: See rights and reprints http://www.bmj.com/permissions
Subscribe: http://www.bmj.com/subscribe
