UK (Commonwealth Union) – Accessing medical records and bill payments online saw a rapid increase since the beginning of the pandemic in late 2019. However, not all changes have been positive, as many have found the systems confusing, resulting with some firms’ staff being bombarded with more work due to increasing amounts of inquiries.
A new study has found that patients with online access to their medical records have unintended ramifications hindering its usefulness. The study was conducted by the National Institute for Health and Care Research ARC West and University of Bristol Centre for Academic Primary Care, which was published in the British Journal of General Practice.
While online access for patients’ health records is supposed to make it convenient for them, in some instances being able to go over health records may have negative ramifications. Examples are when patients find surprising and distressing details or find their health information hard to make sense of. Online access also has unintended ramifications for general practices, impacting how doctors take notes, which adds to administrative workloads.
The UK NHS (National Health Service) Long Term plan provided patients the right to view ‘digital first’ primary care by 2023-24. Even though there was a delay in accessing medical records, from November 2022 the NHS and other similar app users should have full access to new features to their record. In 2023 patients can get summarized versions of their record.
NIHR ARC West and Senior Research Associate in CAPC, Dr Andrew Turner, states that the findings indicate that there can be unintended effects for patients and staff when health records do not serve the intended purpose. “Giving patients online access to their health records can be of benefit to patients and is a sign of transparency in medicine, but it is important to share access in ways that maximise the positive benefits and minimise possible harms,” he said.
