The benefits:
1. Portability- Patients who have copies of some or all of their records have data portability – i.e. they can represent themselves better with other hospitals, social care or away from home.
2. Out of hours weekends nights holidays – patients who have portability can help themselves and professionals out of hours
3. Safety, omissions and errors – patients can detect omissions and errors and sometime prevent medical accidents
4. Aide memoires - Patients generally remember about 10% of what they are told in consultations. This increases to over20% if they are given written information and up to 80% if they are given pictures or diagrams.
5. Understanding - Patients understand their conditions more when they can see their notes. what they have told.
6. Informed consent - Patients cannot give fully informed consent without appropriate data about themselves and their conditions and interventions.
7. Compliance Patients who have more information comply and complete treatment better
8. Attendances at A and e - Patients who have more information, knowledge and understanding of continuing problems attend A and E less.
9. Health literacy At the lowest level of literacy skill, termed NALS level 1, individuals can only perform basic tasks such as signing their name or finding a word or fact in a short written article. Individuals at NALS level 1 are often considered “functionally illiterate.” Although they can perform some reading and writing tasks, their limited literacy skills prevent full functioning in today’s society. Individuals in NALS level 2 have somewhat more advanced skills but are still substantially limited in their ability to read and understand text. They are considered marginally literate. Written and pictorial information can help.
10. Proxy care and Patient and family agency Patients who have copies of or access to their records can invite families to aid their management.
HIFA profile: Richard Fitton is a retired family doctor - GP. Professional interests: Health literacy, patient partnership of trust and implementation of healthcare with professionals, family and public involvement in the prevention of modern lifestyle diseases, patients using access to professional records to overcome confidentiality barriers to care, patients as part of the policing of the use of their patient data Email address: richardpeterfitton7 AT gmail.com
