Tuesday 20 December 2011

Should doctors share their notes with patients?

The answer seems to be yes for patients, but no for some doctors, according to a recent study in the Annals of Internal Medicine [Ann Intern Med. 2011;155:811-819]. The most interesting part of the study was the fact that patients expressed considerable enthusiasm and few fears about sharing notes. However doctors who had declined to participate in the pilot worried about frightening and confusing patients; recording their thoughts candidly; and writing about such issues as mental health, substance abuse, cancer, and obesity. The sample in the study was US primary health care physicians.