Background: Patient online access to medical records is assumed to facilitate patient empowerment and advance patient-centered health care. However, to date, the actual effects of online access to medical records perceived by patients and other outcomes are insufficiently empirically tested.
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of online access to medical records on patient empowerment, informed decision-making, and the patient-provider relationship perceived by patients.
Methods: A nationwide, 2-wave, longitudinal survey study was conducted among Dutch adults (N=2402). Linear regression analyses were performed. In model 1, the perceived effects of online access to medical records (measured at T1 [first measurement; July 2021]) on 16 outcomes (measured at T2 [second measurement; January 2022]), which were associated with the use of online access to general practice medical records in previous research, were investigated. Model 2 included sociodemographic factors and patient characteristics as confounders.
Results: Users indicated more strongly than nonusers that online access to medical records would increase their participation in health care, improve the relationship with their general practitioner, and support informed decision-making. These results were robust when adjusted for the influence of confounders. Effect sizes were very small, with unstandardized regression coefficients (B) ranging between -0.39 and 0.28. Higher digital and health literacy were associated with higher ratings of almost all effects.
Conclusions: Online access to medical records has the potential to empower patients and foster informed decision-making among patients. The effects in this study were small but might grow over time. Other factors, such as the attitude of general practitioners toward online access to medical records, might moderate these effects. The results indicate that the potential benefits of online access to medical records might be unevenly distributed. We suggest future exploration of the conditions under which online access to medical records can improve health care system functioning and efficiency without increasing health inequality.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/47659 | DOI Listing |
BMC Health Serv Res
January 2025
Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, P.O. Box 1, Bilthoven, 3720 BA, The Netherlands.
HIV self-sampling and -testing (HIVSS/ST) reduces testing barriers and potentially reaches populations who may not test otherwise. In the Netherlands, at-home HIV tests became commercially available around 2016, but data on user experiences are limited. This study aimed to explore characteristics of users and their experiences with HIVSS/ST.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
January 2025
Department of Anesthesiology and Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Kunming Children's Hospital, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
Metabolic syndrome (Mets) in adolescents is a growing public health issue linked to obesity, hypertension, and insulin resistance, increasing risks of cardiovascular disease and mental health problems. Early detection and intervention are crucial but often hindered by complex diagnostic requirements. This study aims to develop a predictive model using NHANES data, excluding biochemical indicators, to provide a simple, cost-effective tool for large-scale, non-medical screening and early prevention of adolescent MetS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMJ Open
January 2025
Centre for Public Health, Institute of Clinical Sciences B, Royal Victoria Hospital, Queen's University Belfast School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Belfast, UK.
Objectives: This study sheds light on the available global definitions, classifications, and criteria used for rare diseases (RDs), ultrarare diseases (URDs), orphan drugs (ODs) and ultraorphan drugs (UODs) and provides insights into the rationale behind these definitions.
Design: A systematic literature review was conducted to identify existing definitions and the criteria used to define RDs, ODs and their subtypes.
Data Sources: Searches were performed in the PubMed/Medline, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science (Science and Social Sciences Citation Index) databases covering articles published from 1985 to 2021.
BMJ Open
January 2025
Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester College of Medicine Biological Sciences and Psychology, Leicester, UK.
Objectives: To explore patients' and carers' preferences for postdischarge surgical wound monitoring.
Design: Explanatory mixed methods study with an online survey followed by online interviews.
Setting: The online survey was distributed via the Cardiothoracic Interdisciplinary Research Network and cardiac surgery patient and public involvement groups in London and Leicester, UK.
Midwifery
January 2025
University of Southern Denmark, Unit for Health Promotion Research, Degnevej 14, 6705 Esbjerg, Denmark.
Problem: Despite solid evidence and national recommendations supporting midwife-led continuity-of-care models, Danish women's access to such programs remains limited.
Background: A public birth facility introduced a midwife-led continuity-of-care model, targeting a subset of women receiving antenatal and intrapartum care.
Aim: To compare care satisfaction during pregnancy and birth and birth experience between women receiving midwife-led continuity of care and those receiving standard midwifery care.
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