Trial Tests Patients' Preferences for Sharing of Electronic Medical Record

In a six-month trial patients were given control over which clinically sensitive information in their Electronic Medical Record (EMR) was shared with health care providers.

The trial involved 105 patients in primary care. The patients were allowed to indicate which clinicians could access sensitive information for example regarding sexually transmitted diseases, substance abuse, or mental health in their electronic medical records.

The Regenstrief Institute, Inc. (Indianapolis, IN, USA), Indiana University School of Medicine (Indianapolis, IN, USA), and Eskenazi Health (Indianapolis, IN, USA) worked together to design and conduct the trial which is published in five peer-reviewed research papers in the January 2015 issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine (JGIM).

The results of the trial show that health care providers especially primary care and emergency room doctors and nurses were highly concerned about the effect of patient control of sensitive information on the quality of care and their relationships with the patients. Some providers were able to accept patient control if the patients were made aware of the possible risks.

Patients on the other hand were strongly in favor of control over their information and 45% of the 105 patients chose to withhold information contained in their EMR.

Lucia Savage, chief privacy officer of the United States National Coordinator for Health Information Technology commented, “It is important for patients to have confidence in how clinicians and others use their sensitive health information. Patient-centered decision making in electronic health information exchange can inspire trust in health IT and the papers in the journal, along with the Regenstrief study, give us new insights on these issues.”

Related Links:
Regenstrief Institute, Inc. 
Indiana University School of Medicine 
Eskenazi Health