Patient access to medical records and healthcare outcomes: a systematic review |
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| Authors: | Traber Davis Giardina Shailaja Menon Danielle E Parrish Dean F Sittig Hardeep Singh |
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| Affiliation: | 1.Houston VA HSR&D Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the Section of Health Services Research, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA;2.Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA;3.University of Texas School of Biomedical Informatics and the UT-Memorial Hermann Center for Healthcare Quality & Safety, Houston, Texas, USA |
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| Abstract: | ![]()
ObjectivesWe conducted a systematic review to determine the effect of providing patients access to their medical records (electronic or paper-based) on healthcare quality, as defined by measures of safety, effectiveness, patient-centeredness, timeliness, efficiency, and equity.MethodsArticles indexed in PubMed from January 1970 to January 2012 were reviewed. Twenty-seven English-language controlled studies were included. Outcomes were categorized as measures of effectiveness (n=19), patient-centeredness (n=16), and efficiency (n=2); no study addressed safety, timeliness, or equity.ResultsOutcomes were equivocal with respect to several aspects of effectiveness and patient-centeredness. Efficiency outcomes in terms of frequency of in-person and telephone encounters were mixed. Access to health records appeared to enhance patients’ perceptions of control and reduced or had no effect on patient anxiety.ConclusionAlthough few positive findings generally favored patient access, the literature is unclear on whether providing patients access to their medical records improves quality. |
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| Keywords: | Patient Access Personal Health Record |
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