Most Docs Don’t Want You To See Your Full Electronic Medical Record

Most doctors in the United States think patients should be actively involved in updating their electronic health records, but they don’t want to give them full access to those records, according to a new study by technology consulting firm Accenture.

Only 31 percent of U.S. doctors said they were willing to give their patients full access to their electronic records; 65 percent said patients should have limited access. Approximately 4 percent said they did not want their patients to have any access to their EHRs.

Physicians diverged on how much information they thought patients should be allowed contribute to their EHRs. In the United States, 79 percent of doctors wanted patients to contribute all of their demographic information, but only 51 percent wanted all information on new symptoms. Interestingly, U.S doctors were more willing than their international colleagues to allow patient access to information like medication side effects and allergic episodes.