Patient online access to medical records in general practice: Perceived effects after one year follow-up

Online access to medical records is expected to foster patient empowerment and patient-centred healthcare. However, data on actual experienced effects remain limited. We aimed to examine the development of effects patients perceive from online access.

A nationwide online survey (N = 1769) evaluated Dutch patients' use of online access and beliefs about its effects on 16 outcomes at baseline and one-year follow-up. Analyses of Variance (ANOVA) were used to examine within-person belief changes across three user groups: patients who 1) used online access before the study, 2) started use during the study, and 3) did not use it at all.

There was a small decline in five beliefs around online access facilitating patient empowerment and participation in participants who started using online access during the study compared to at least one other user group. Most changes in beliefs did not differ between groups.

No evidence of benefits from online access was found. The findings might indicate inadequacies in the current system of online access. Possibly, the benefits of online access are contingent upon portal improvements and changes in documentation practices.

Records need to be easily accessible and comprehensible for patients. Consultation practices should enable patient participation.