Doctors Open Medical Records to Patients

by KYW's medical editor Dr. Brian McDonough

If you are a fan of the classic TV series Seinfeld, you may remember the episode where Elaine makes an attempt to read the contents of her medical chart, only to be thwarted by her doctor.

According to a report in the Annals of Internal Medicine, all this summer, a group of primary care physicians across the country are giving their patients - 25,000 of them - the chance to read their notes on their medical records via a secure internet portal.

The project is designed to determine if access to notes will result in improved doctor-patient communication. The thought is that doctors' notes may help to clarify issues or explain care approaches. The hope is that inviting patients to review their notes could improve their understanding of their health and lead them to talk with their physicians more openly.

However, some fear that patient access to physicians' notes could have negative consequences, such as confusing or worrying patients.