Patients should have the ability to update their own electronic health records (EHRs), according to results of a survey of doctors in eight countries that was performed by management consulting and technology services firm Accenture.
But when it comes to accessing EHR clinical content, of the 3,700 physicians polled by Harris Interactive, only 31% believe that patients should have full access. Sixty-five percent said that patient access should be limited, and 4% said they should have no access at all.
Among physicians practicing in the U.S., the vast majority (85% to 95%) stated that patients should be able to update demographic, family medical history, medication, and allergy information. More than 80% also felt they should be able to add self-measured metrics such as blood pressure and glucose levels. But only 53% felt that patients should update their lab results.
In reality, however, only 21% of physicians surveyed currently give patients online access to their medical summary or patient chart.
A total of 500 physicians each from Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Spain, and the U.S. were surveyed between November and December 2012. The survey, which assessed adoption, utilization, and attitudes toward healthcare IT, also included 200 physicians from Singapore.
More than half of the physicians (53%) said that the introduction of EHRs has improved the quality of patient care, and 84% said they are committed to promoting the use of electronic records in their clinical practice. Three-fourths said they believe the right financial investments to adopt electronic records are being made, and 83% said they believe electronic records will become integral to effective patient care.
