I’ve been a big fan of the OpenNotes effort for a long time. While I’ve heard every excuse in the business for why patients shouldn’t have access to their chart, all of those reasons have fallen flat. Much of that is thanks to the good work of the people at OpenNotes.
If your organization has not embraced opening up your chart notes to patients, what’s holding you back? The case for opening your notes to patients is clear.
If you want a more humorous look at this, check out this video featuring e-Patient Dave and clip’s from Seinfeld.
I’m not sure how I missed this video when it first came out, but it’s timeless. Plus, there’s no one better to share this message than e-Patient Dave whose life was literally saved because he demanded access to his chart.
No doubt, a lot of things have changed in the 20 years since the above episode aired. One of those things is patients desire to access their chart and technology’s ability to deliver the chart to the patient at basically no cost.
If your organization hasn’t embraced OpenNotes, I encourage you all to do so now. They can answer all your questions and address all your doubts. Join the Movement and improve the care you provide patients.