‘Getting it Write’: Exploring underserved patient and carer reactions to clinicians’ notes in an era of patient online access

Description

‘Getting it Write’: Exploring underserved patient and carer reactions to clinicians’ notes in an era of patient online access

Introduction/Background/Problem
Evidence from international studies suggests that granting patients online access to their electronic health records can offer numerous benefits, including increased patient engagement, safety, and quality of care.

Expanding access to health records can also enhance health literacy and engagement, especially for marginalised populations who may stand to gain the most from such access. However, current patient health records primarily serve clinicians and may not adequately meet the needs of patients.

In England, most patients now have online access to all new entries in their primary care health records, including consultation notes, through platforms like the NHS App.

Description of Objectives/Methods/Intervention
This study aimed to investigate how underserved patients and carers may react to reading consultation notes and to identify aspects of the notes that they may find difficult to understand or that may unintentionally cause anxiety or offence.
Interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with 26 patients from
underserved communities, including young people, older patients, carers, individuals living in deprived areas, those with English as an additional language, and LGBTQ+ individuals. Participants responded to vignettes depicting fictional patient consultation scenarios. They were asked to identify potential comprehension issues, offensive content, or anxiety triggers. Additionally, participants suggested types of support and resources that could enhance patient understanding and relationships with healthcare professionals.

Results/Effects/Impact/Changes
Most participants struggled to comprehend a significant proportion of the fictional consultation notes, particularly medical acronyms, clinician shorthand, and non-clinical abbreviations. They also identified issues that could unintentionally cause offence or anxiety. Participants believed that most patients would find it challenging to fully grasp the content of their consultation notes in their current format. They provided several suggestions on how this service could be improved to better meet the needs of patients and maintain positive patient-clinician relationships.

Discussions/Conclusions/Lessons learned
To optimise the National Health Service investment in this policy and prevent further exacerbation of health inequalities, it is crucial to ensure a clear pathway to benefiting patients. Providing comprehensive support for healthcare professionals in crafting consultation notes, along with measures to enhance patient health literacy and understanding, are essential for safe and effective policy implementation.

Period	19 Sept 2024
Event title	International Health Literacy Association Global Health Literacy Summit
Event type	Conference
Conference number	2
Location	Rotterdam, NetherlandsShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International