Patient record access: making it work for you and the NHS

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Patient Engagement
• Healthcare Policy

Background:

• National Health Service (NHS) policy mandates patient record access in the UK.
• While policy exists, widespread patient record access is currently rare.
• This article focuses on the current status and future potential of patient record access systems in the UK.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize the current state of patient record access in the UK.
• To explore future functionalities for enhanced patient and NHS interaction.
• To identify benefits and challenges associated with patient record access.

Main Methods:

• Review of the current state of patient record access in the UK.
• Focus on a specific system with available data.
• Exploration of potential future system functionalities.

Main Results:

• Patient record access is deemed safe and offers numerous patient benefits, including improved safety, accuracy, and shared decision-making.
• Practices benefit from time savings and empowered patients.
• Clinicians, particularly General Practitioners (GPs), have anxieties regarding control, litigation, and data protection.

Conclusions:

• Patient record access, augmented with transactional services, is poised to benefit both patients and NHS practices.
• This approach supports Quality, Innovation, Productivity, and Prevention (QIPP) initiatives.
• While likely to become routine, it complements, rather than replaces, traditional patient communication and support.