ArticleBMJ open2016
Engaging patients through open notes: an evaluation using mixed methods.
Article in BMJ open, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 72 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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
72 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Impact of online patient access to clinical notes on quality of care: a systematic review.BMJ quality & safety · 2026Pooled it
- Communicating with Vulnerable Patient Populations: A Randomized Intervention to Teach Inpatients to Use the Electronic Patient Portal.Applied clinical informatics · 2018Trial
- Patient Participation in Organ Transplant Selection Meetings: A Qualitative Study.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- An Evaluation of AI-Generated Clinical Notes in the OpenNotes Era: A Thematic Analysis of Clinician Discourse.Journal of evaluation in clinical practice · 2026Article
- Understanding Patient-Reported Offenses in Electronic Health Records: Cross-Sectional Mixed Methods Survey.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Experiences of clinicians engaged in report-back of individual chemical exposures in two pregnancy cohorts.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2026Article
- Identification of Barriers to Digital Patient Portal Adoption Among Patients With Prostate Cancer Undergoing Curative Radiotherapy at a Canadian Provincial Cancer Program: A Quality Improvement Study.JCO clinical cancer informatics · 2026Observational
- Changes in Documentation After Implementing Open Notes in Mental Health Care: Pre-Post Mixed Methods Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Experiences of Older Mental Health Patients and Their Care Partners Using a Proxy Account to Access Open Notes: Qualitative Interview Study.JMIR aging · 2025Article
- Adolescent and parental proxy online record access: analysis of the empirical evidence based on four bioethical principles.BMC medical ethics · 2025Article
- Patient-Accessible Electronic Health Records and Information Practices in Mental Health Care Contexts: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Addressing Note Bloat: Solutions for Effective Clinical Documentation.Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians open · 2025Article
- Identifying Facilitators and Inhibitors of Shared Understanding: An Ethnography of Diagnosis Communication in Acute Medical Settings.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2024Article
- Psychiatrists' perceptions of conditions and consequences associated with the implementation of open notes: qualitative investigation.BMC psychiatry · 2024Article
- Enhancing data practices for Whole Health: Strategies for a transformative future.Learning health systems · 2024Article
- Real-Time Electronic Patient Portal Use Among Emergency Department Patients.JAMA network open · 2024Article
- Biomedical text readability after hypernym substitution with fine-tuned large language models.PLOS digital health · 2024Article
- Patients' Experiences of a National Patient Portal and Its Usability: Cross-Sectional Survey Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Article
- Perspectives of Patients About Immediate Access to Test Results Through an Online Patient Portal.JAMA network open · 2023Article
- Tablet distribution to veterans: an opportunity to increase patient portal adoption and use.Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA · 2022Article
12 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
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectives(A) To gain insights into the experiences of patients invited to view their doctors' visit notes, with a focus on those who review multiple notes; (B) to examine the relationships among fully transparent electronic medical records and quality of care, the patient-doctor relationship, patient engagement, self-care, self-management skills and clinical outcomes.
designMixed methods qualitative study: analyses of survey data, including content analysis of free-text answers, and quantitative-descriptive measures combined with semistructured individual interviews, patient activation measures, and member checks.
settingGreater Boston, USA.
participantsPatients cared for by primary care physicians (PCPs) at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center who had electronic access to their PCP visit notes. Among those submitting surveys, 576 free-text answers were identified and analysed (414 from female patients, 162 from male patients; 23-88 years). In addition, 13 patients (9 female, 4 male; 58-87 years) were interviewed.
resultsPatient experiences indicate improved understanding (of health information), better relationships (with doctors), better quality (adherence and compliance; keeping track) and improved self-care (patient-centredness, empowerment). Patients want more doctors to offer access to their notes, and some wish to contribute to their generation. Those patients with repeated experience reviewing notes express fewer concerns and more perceived benefits.
conclusionsAs the use of fully transparent medical records spreads, it is important to gain a deeper understanding of possible benefits or harms, and to characterise target populations that may require varying modes of delivery. Patient desires for expansion of this practice extend to specialty care and settings beyond the physician's office. Patients are also interested in becoming involved actively in the generation of their medical records. The OpenNotes movement may increase patient activation and engagement in important ways.
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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.