SynthesisThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2015
Patients' online access to their electronic health records and linked online services: a systematic review in primary care.
Synthesis in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 92 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
92 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 177 citations in OpenAlex.
- A Process Related View on the Usage of Electronic Health Records from the Patients' Perspective: A Systematic Review.Journal of medical systems · 2022Pooled it
- Adult patient access to electronic health records.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- Impact of providing patients access to electronic health records on quality and safety of care: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ quality & safety · 2020Pooled it
- The State of Evidence in Patient Portals: Umbrella Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Pooled it
- Implementation Strategies to Enhance the Implementation of eHealth Programs for Patients With Chronic Illnesses: Realist Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2019Pooled it
- Interventions to increase patient portal use in vulnerable populations: a systematic review.Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA · 2019Pooled it
- The Impact of Patient Online Access to Computerized Medical Records and Services on Type 2 Diabetes: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2018Pooled it
- Methods to Evaluate the Effects of Internet-Based Digital Health Interventions for Citizens: Systematic Review of Reviews.Journal of medical Internet research · 2018Pooled it
- Patients' online access to their electronic health records and linked online services: a systematic interpretative review.BMJ open · 2014Pooled it
- Providing Mobile Patient Access to Their Electronic Secondary Care Patient Record in Adults With Cystic Fibrosis: Results of a Prospective, Parallel, Randomized Open-Pilot Quantitative Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Trial
- Combining volunteers and primary care teamwork to support health goals and needs of older adults: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2019Trial
- A protocol for a pragmatic randomized controlled trial using the Health Teams Advancing Patient Experience: Strengthening Quality (Health TAPESTRY) platform approach to promote person-focused primary healthcare for older adults.Implementation science : IS · 2016Trial
- Impacts of epic MyChart and healthy planet on clinical care measures: a scoping review protocol.BMJ open · 2026Article
- Exploring Patient Empowerment and Health System Outcomes Associated With MyHealthNB, a Provincial Personal Health Record System: Exploratory Mixed Methods Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Design and evaluation patient portal for patients with HTLV-1.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2025Article
- LLMonFHIR: A Physician-Validated, Large Language Model-Based Mobile Application for Querying Patient Electronic Health Data.JACC. Advances · 2025Article
- Cocreating the Visualization of Digital Mobility Outcomes: Delphi-Type Process With Patients.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Identifying Medication Review Topics to Be Documented in a Structured Form in Electronic Health Record Systems: Delphi Consensus Survey.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Effect of using client-accessible youth health records on experienced autonomy among parents and adolescents in preventive child healthcare and youth care: A mixed methods intervention study.Journal of child health care : for professionals working with children in the hospital and community · 2025Article
- Twenty-Five Years of Evolution and Hurdles in Electronic Health Records and Interoperability in Medical Research: Comprehensive Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Review
32 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundOnline access to medical records by patients can potentially enhance provision of patient-centred care and improve satisfaction. However, online access and services may also prove to be an additional burden for the healthcare provider.
aimTo assess the impact of providing patients with access to their general practice electronic health records (EHR) and other EHR-linked online services on the provision, quality, and safety of health care. DESIGN AND
settingA systematic review was conducted that focused on all studies about online record access and transactional services in primary care.
methodData sources included MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, EPOC, DARE, King's Fund, Nuffield Health, PsycINFO, OpenGrey (1999-2012). The literature was independently screened against detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria; independent dual data extraction was conducted, the risk of bias (RoB) assessed, and a narrative synthesis of the evidence conducted.
resultsA total of 176 studies were identified, 17 of which were randomised controlled trials, cohort, or cluster studies. Patients reported improved satisfaction with online access and services compared with standard provision, improved self-care, and better communication and engagement with clinicians. Safety improvements were patient-led through identifying medication errors and facilitating more use of preventive services. Provision of online record access and services resulted in a moderate increase of e-mail, no change on telephone contact, but there were variable effects on face-to-face contact. However, other tasks were necessary to sustain these services, which impacted on clinician time. There were no reports of harm or breaches in privacy.
conclusionWhile the RoB scores suggest many of the studies were of low quality, patients using online services reported increased convenience and satisfaction. These services positively impacted on patient safety, although there were variations of record access and use by specific ethnic and socioeconomic groups. Professional concerns about privacy were unrealised and those about workload were only partly so.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.