{"id":1670,"date":"2022-05-09T10:54:13","date_gmt":"2022-05-09T10:54:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vozo.xyz\/blog\/?p=1670"},"modified":"2024-02-20T10:23:17","modified_gmt":"2024-02-20T10:23:17","slug":"the-growing-importance-of-patient-access-to-medical-records","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vozohealth.com\/blog\/the-growing-importance-of-patient-access-to-medical-records","title":{"rendered":"The Growing Importance Of Patient Access To Medical Records"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We live in a world where digitalization is everything. And most Americans these days, after the pandemic happened, are willing to cherish their health. They want their health data to be easily accessible and better protected for achieving their health goals. This showcases the importance of patient access to medical records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The easy access to medical records by the patients will help them to be equipped and empowered to make clear and better decisions regarding their health and lifestyle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luckily the importance and patient access to medical records are on the rise now with the rocketing increase in the usage of portals and application programming interfaces (APO)<\/strong> integrations, providing more data available for the consumers. Let\u2019s dive into further things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Medical Records<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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According to a source<\/strong><\/a>, \u201cthe terms medical record, health record,<\/em> and medical chart<\/em> are used somewhat interchangeably to describe the systematic documentation of a single patient’s medical history and care across time within one particular health care provider’s jurisdiction\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 A medical record includes a variety of types of “notes” entered over time by healthcare professionals, recording observations and administration of drugs and therapies, orders for the administration of drugs and therapies, test results, x-rays, reports, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The maintenance of complete and accurate medical records is a requirement of health care providers and is generally enforced as a licensing or certification prerequisite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Importance Of Patient Access To Medical Records<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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So, the question, \u201cwhy does patient access to medical records matter the most?\u201d might rise to those who don’t have access to them. Having access to your medical records means having control over your health and health decisions in short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who doesn\u2019t want that? Using the info, you can eliminate the chances of errors and mistakes that could happen and avoid the harm that could cause to your treatment decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Initially letting the healthcare providers alone deal with the medical records led to many problems such as incorrect data entry, manipulation of patient data, etc. But after providing access to medical records, the results were increased patient engagement, improvement in treatment cooperation, enhanced patient experience, etc. Let us see them in detail now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Pros Of Providing Patient Access To Medical Records<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Increased patient engagement: <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Think of a healthcare system without the engagement of the patients in anything relating to their care. Patient engagement is an important factor to improve treatment outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without simple, easy, and secured access to their medical records, how will the patients be fully engaged in their care? Providing access to medical records by the patients increases their engagement rate, will make them proactive about their medical care and makes them more alert when it comes to what\u2019s going on with their health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patient engagement allows them to actively collaborate with healthcare providers in decision-making, making the patient-provider relationship stronger, and increasing positive patient outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RELATED: Patient Portals Vs Patient Engagement: How It Relates?<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Enhanced patient experience: <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Patient access to medical records provides better transparency and a patient-centric care experience. This allows the healthcare consumers of this modern world to manage their healthcare conveniently and flexibly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And offering a better digital experience to the patients can help the healthcare practices to attract and retain more patients. See, it\u2019s beneficial to everybody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Improvement in treatment cooperation:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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These days patients are raising queries even if they have a pinch of doubt on anything. It\u2019s clear now that they need answers for everything. This kind of proactive and engaged patients will adhere to treatment plans and take their medicines as prescribed by the doctors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When they have access to EHR<\/a><\/strong> clinical notes, even patients with multiple chronic conditions are more adhere to the medication prescribed and the treatments suggested for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cons Of Providing Access To The Medical Records<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Offering full access to medical records could open up doors for new legal concerts for clinicians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n