More than half of patients (62 percent) consider web-based portal access to clinician-documented visit notes an important factor when searching for a new healthcare provider, according to a survey published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
The survey includes responses from 23,710 patients or their caregivers from the following organizations that participated in an OpenNotes pilot test in 2010-11: Boston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, University of Washington Medicine in Seattle and Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger. The survey was conducted between June and October 2017 via a web-based platform. All participants used a patient portal and had at least one visit note available within the last year at the time of the survey.
Four survey insights:
1. Seventy-two percent of patients said note reading was "very important" in helping them manage their health.
2. Access to clinical notes helped 65 percent of participants remember their care plans.
3. After reading their clinical notes, only 3 percent of patients said they felt more confused and just 4 percent said they felt more worried.
4. Almost all respondents (98 percent) said they consider web-based access to visit notes a good idea.
To access the full report, click here.