While research on the impact of Open Notes in pediatric inpatient settings remains limited, recent findings have improved our understanding by adding actual caregiver experiences to the expectations identified in our initial study. As we move into this new era of transparency, we call for further investigation of the impact of note sharing on health care outcomes for children while continuing to develop strategies to mitigate challenges.
Editorial / Commentary
Open notes use in psychiatry—The need for multilevel efforts in research and practice
Support for open notes has been bolstered by evidence from a limited pool of early adopters showing that sharing mental health notes could improve indicators of patient-centered care, including patient-rated empowerment, mental health literacy, and therapeutic alliance.
Clinical ethics consultation documentation in the era of open notes
The new regulatory requirements of the 21st Century Cures Act provide a valuable opportunity to involve patients more actively in the documentation and telling of their own story of ethical complexity. Healthcare systems should take advantage of this new era and use open notes as a way to improve CECs documentation and, ultimately, patient care.
Access to records: Do open notes work for patients?
Since 2021, Americans have been guaranteed full and immediate access to their own health records. Joanne Silberner asks if this has helped or hindered treatment.
The voice of the patient and the electronic health record
The patient’s voice […] and their preferences for care and its outcomes, is too small a part of the electronic health record (EHR). If you are a researcher or innovator, collaborate with patient groups and clinicians to create new ways to capture the patient voice, and to leverage it for good.
A patient-centered approach to writing ambulatory visit notes in the Cures Act era
Most note-writing guides to date have focused on the experience of clinicians. Here, we build on these tips by integrating patient perspectives related to note-reading.
Patient access to full general practice health records
Researchers in the UK say patients have little choice but to be more self-reliant due to overwhelming demands on the health system. Ready online access to full health records could help and may also reduce demand.
Deciding on my dimples
OpenNotes advocate/researcher Liz Salmi describes a high-stakes decision she made in collaboration with her neurosurgeon during awake craniotomy.
Open notes in patient care: confining deceptive placebos to the past?
In some countries, the practice of “open notes” is advanced with patients using online portals to access their clinical records. In this report, the authors reflect on the consequences of access for placebo prescribing, particularly for the common practice of deceptive placebo use, in which patients are not aware they are being offered a placebo.
Shared access to patient portals for older adults: Implications for privacy and digital health equity
This viewpoint article discusses challenges and opportunities of systematic engagement of care partners through shared access to the patient portal that have been amplified in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak and recent implementation of federal information blocking rules to promote information transparency alongside broader shifts toward care delivery innovation and population aging. We describe implementation considerations and the promise of granular, role-based privacy controls in addressing the nuanced and dynamic nature of individual information sharing preferences and fostering person- and family-centered care delivery.