As Health Information goes Digital, Patients may Spot Unpleasant Surprises

A recent article in the Huffington Post pointed out an important issue regarding digital health records.

When Kaiser Permanente started giving patients online access to their medical records nearly five years ago, it offered the same lab reports doctors saw—complete with warning flags highlighting any abnormal results. The capital letters – such as “H” for “high” -- alarmed many patients. So now the giant health plan has modified the policy for most of its members. It displays lab results in a more neutral way, showing patients how they compare to normal ranges and advising them to contact their health practitioner with any questions. The experience at Kaiser reflects the sensitivities that can arise over how much medical data patients should be entitled to view and how quickly—a debate that’s intensifying as medicine enters the digital era.

As Health Files Go Digital, Patients May Spot Unpleasant Surprises

One of the fears of physicians is that providing their patients with access to online health information may increase workload because of examples as described above? It is easy to become alarmed by information that is not well explained.

Do you think this is a legitimate concern? How can these types of issues be addressed?

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Comments

[Michael Martineau]

I can only speak from a patient perspective and I am eager to hear what physicians think about this matter. While I agree that presentation needs to be considered, I do believe that my health information is mine and I should be able to see all data that is collected about me including lab tests. That said, given my background and level of education, I realize that I may not be the typical patient.