Patients Contributing to Their Doctors' Notes: Insights From Expert Interviews
Authors: John N. Mafi, Macda Gerard, Hannah Chimowitz, Melissa Anselmo, Tom Delbanco, Jan Walker
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2017)

Letters20 February 2018Patients Contributing to Their Doctors' Notes: Insights From Expert InterviewsJohn N. Mafi, MD, MPH, Macda Gerard, BA, Hannah Chimowitz, BA, Melissa Anselmo, MPH, Tom Delbanco, MD, and Jan Walker, RN, MBAJohn N. Mafi, MD, MPHUniversity of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California (J.N.M.), Macda Gerard, BABeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (M.G., H.C., M.A., T.D., J.W.), Hannah Chimowitz, BABeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (M.G., H.C., M.A., T.D., J.W.), Melissa Anselmo, MPHBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (M.G., H.C., M.A., T.D., J.W.), Tom Delbanco, MDBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (M.G., H.C., M.A., T.D., J.W.), and Jan Walker, RN, MBABeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (M.G., H.C., M.A., T.D., J.W.)Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M17-0583 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Background: In a rapidly expanding practice directed toward improved communication, patient engagement, and patient safety, clinicians are increasingly inviting patients to read office visit notes on secure electronic portals. Reports from doctors and patients participating in a pilot study are strongly positive (1). However, although patient-reported outcomes indicate that reading notes is valuable, it is primarily a passive activity. As a next step, inviting patients and their families to contribute to their notes may further patient engagement and offload work from beleaguered doctors.Objective: To solicit ideas from experts about the concept of OurNotes, an intervention in which patients and ...References1. Delbanco T, Walker J, Bell SK, Darer JD, Elmore JG, Farag N, et al. Inviting patients to read their doctors' notes: a quasi-experimental study and a look ahead. Ann Intern Med. 2012;157:461-70. [PMID: 23027317]. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-157-7-201210020-00002 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Slack WV, Hicks GP, Reed CE, Van Cura LJ. A computer-based medical-history system. N Engl J Med. 1966;274:194-8. [PMID: 5902618] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Benaroia M, Elinson R, Zarnke K. Patient-directed intelligent and interactive computer medical history-gathering systems: a utility and feasibility study in the emergency department. Int J Med Inform. 2007;76:283-8. [PMID: 16473548] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Hess R, Santucci A, McTigue K, Fischer G, Kapoor W. Patient difficulty using tablet computers to screen in primary care. J Gen Intern Med. 2008;23:476-80. [PMID: 18373148] doi:10.1007/s11606-007-0500-1 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Miller WL, Crabtree BF. Primary care research: a multimethod typology and qualitative roadmap. In: Crabtree BF, Miller WL, eds. Doing Qualitative Research in Primary Care: Multiple Strategies. Newbury Park, CA: Sage; 1992:3-28. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California (J.N.M.)Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (M.G., H.C., M.A., T.D., J.W.)See also: Editorial comment (page 298).Acknowledgment: The authors thank Sigall Bell, MD, MPH; Joe Boyce, MD; Jon Darer, MD; Joann Elmore, MD, MPH; Jamie Green, MD; Suzanne Leveille, PhD, RN; James Ralston, MD, MPH; and Rebecca Stametz, MPH, for important contributions to early discussions about the concept of OurNotes.Financial Support: By The Commonwealth Fund of New York, which had no role in the study design; collection, analysis, or interpretation of the data; or decision to approve publication of the finished manuscript.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M17-0583.Reproducible Research Statement:Study protocol: Interview guide available from Dr. Mafi (e-mail, [email protected]ucla.edu). Statistical code: Not applicable. Data set: Not available.This article was published at Annals.org on 14 November 2017. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoA New Chapter in Patient-Centered Care: Sharing the Medical Note? Monika M. 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