Patients’ Reaction to Online Access to Their Electronic Medical Records: The Case of Diabetic Patients in the U.S

Abstract

One of the pillars of initiatives to boost patient participation and enhance healthcare outcomes is patients' access to their online medical information. This essay aims to deepen readers' awareness of cancer patients' views about and experiences with online medical records as well as the difficulties in creating and implementing e-health services. The study's findings show that online access can aid people in understanding their medical conditions and preparing for doctor appointments. The study demonstrates that, in contrast to the worries of many doctors, internet access to medical records did not significantly raise worry, worries, or hospital phone calls.

Methods: The qualitative method of analysis was used in the investigation. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. Most research on patients viewing their EMR up until this point has been based on surveys. In contrast to past attempts, this study might point out a lack of thorough qualitative understanding of how particular patients engage with the EMRs in a particular environment.

Results: the study's findings demonstrate that 15 of 20 patients in group A did not experience any negative emotions or offence after reading their medical data. They had discovered mistakes, which is why they had grown irritated. As was already said, none of them believe the errors are severe enough to warrant fixing. Four patients from group A further contended that they were unhappy since the sickness had become more obvious as a result of access to their medical information. They stress that their diabetes diagnosis—rather than the e-Health service—is what caused these sentiments, not the service itself. Conclusion: The majority of the patients' opinions toward the usage of these online EMR features were largely good, according to the research findings of our study of 40 diabetic patients from the Department of Endocrinology, SIU School of Medicine Hospital in Illinois. Most patients were content with the completeness and accuracy of the medical information in their EMR, and they were not worried about the confidentiality or privacy of their medical information or about finding out about test results before discussing them with their doctors.