Research study paper is here: http://ow.ly/6eY530jYZJy
We’re published! Thanks to co-authors Bradley Crotty MD, Corey Lyons MD, and Matthew Moles MD, we helped a multi-health system collaborative to study the idea of Open Notes in primary care residencies (family medicine and internal medicine at University of Colorado Health system), with research findings above.
Ultimately there is some anxiety from both faculty and residents about patients reading their written progress notes online, after the physicians have signed off on those visit notes. We are happy to claim that our program, of all the training programs was least optimistic that this would turn out well for our physicians and patients.
Overall, though, since we gathered this survey data, we have gone on to turn on Open Notes throughout our health system (UCHealth) and now uniformly offer Open Notes to all patients in our 700 clinics, 11 hospitals, and 21 emergency departments. The fear that the “world would come to an end” has not yet come to pass, and we are hearing positive things from our patients about their ability to read notes and benefit from them, including:
- I often forget much of what we discussed in the visit, now I can go back and refresh my memory
- Sometimes my wife asks me “what did the doctor say?” and now we can go review it together
- Sometimes my other doctors don’t receive the consultation letter from my specialist, and now I can show him/her that letter/note from my patient portal. I can be in charge of my own information
- I can use my doctors note to look up words I don’t understand and get more background information so that I can ask more intelligent questions at my next visit; I feel like a part of my own healthcare team
CMIO’s take: it is good to study what we do. As Robert Anderson MD, one of my mentors told me: “We should use the laboratory of our direct patient care to study and learn. Everything we do with patients should be evaluated and can be improved.” Thanks, Bob!
