Patients Contributing to Visit Notes: Mixed Methods Evaluation of OurNotes.

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Patient Engagement
• Clinical Documentation

Background:

• Patient portals enable access to electronic health records, including clinical notes.
• The OurNotes intervention facilitates patient-clinician co-generation of clinical notes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess patient and provider experiences with the OurNotes intervention after a 12-month pilot.
• Evaluate attitudes towards patient-clinician note co-generation in primary care.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods evaluation involving 174 providers and 1962 patients across 4 academic health centers.
• Patients submitted pre-visit histories and agendas; providers incorporated these into visit notes.
• Data collected via tracking and post-intervention surveys on usefulness, workflow, and patient/provider feedback.

Main Results:

• Most clinicians viewed patient histories and agendas positively, with 70% incorporating them into notes.
• 54% of providers reported no change in visit length, and 35% perceived time savings.
• Patients found pre-visit submissions helpful for preparation, with high agreement that sending information beforehand was beneficial.

Conclusions:

• The OurNotes intervention demonstrates patient interest and positive provider reception.
• Further development requires collaboration with patients, care partners, clinicians, and health record experts.