Patients Want More Access, Sharing of Medical Records

Americans want greater access to their medical records and support sharing their health information among all their healthcare providers.

By a 61% majority, the Pew Charitable Trusts found people want to be able to access and download their medical records to apps on mobile devices. An even larger 81% of the respondents to the Pew survey support sharing medical records among healthcare professionals caring for the same patient.

Though there’s broad support for accessing and sharing medical records, the survey found nine out of 10 respondents are concerned about the privacy aspects. Three-quarters would be comfortable if the app they use was approved by the healthcare providers. With other apps, the comfort level drops off substantially.

The other privacy concern centers around just what information in patient records would be shared.

“Respondents expressed some concern with how certain information would be treated, such as any history of substance use, their behavioral health backgrounds, or details on social determinants of health such as income levels or access to food,” said Pew’s report on the survey findings.

75% of the survey participants felt comfortable giving their personal doctor this information, but a less than majority 48% want it shared with others. Based on focus groups conducted previously, Pew said the concern is being pre-judged based on social determinants.

“Participants had questions and concerns, including that this information would lead to assumptions about patients and could contribute to discrimination,” Pew said in an previous article discussing the focus groups. “Many participants said they would feel comfortable discussing (social determinants of health) with clinicians with whom they had an established relationship, but they had concerns about that information being shared with a different provider.”

One of the challenges to sharing electronic medical records among providers is patient matching – accurately linking a patient’s information in one facility to their records elsewhere. Three-quarters of the survey participants supported having the federal government set a national standard to identify patients across multiple providers. Years ago, Congress authorized the creation of a unique patient identifier, but has so far failed to allocate the money to get the job done. Pew found widespread bipartisan support for spending on to set up the system. Fingerprint scans and a unique code were the most popular identifiers. Just over a majority supported eye or facial scans or an app.

“This survey,” writes Ben Moscovitch who directs Pew’s health information technology initiative, “Shows that Americans recognize the importance of getting their own health data and sharing it with the clinicians that care for them.”

Photo by Hush Naidoo on Unsplash

Impact of Women in Leadership
General Interest Green Key News Human Resources Leadership + Management Worklife

Impact of Women in Leadership

Recognizing Women’s History Month in the Workplace
General Interest Green Key News Leadership + Management Worklife

Recognizing Women’s History Month in the Workplace

How Wellness Initiatives Can Strengthen Your Workforce
General Interest Green Key News Leadership + Management Worklife

How Wellness Initiatives Can Strengthen Your Workforce

#WeAreGreenKey: Spotlight on Alexis Schumacher
Accounting + Finance General Interest Green Key News Worklife

#WeAreGreenKey: Spotlight on Alexis Schumacher

Women in Leadership at GKR
General Interest Green Key News Leadership + Management Worklife

Women in Leadership at GKR

Spain Becomes First European Country to Offer Paid Menstrual Leave
General Interest Green Key News Human Resources Worklife

Spain Becomes First European Country to Offer Paid Menstrual Leave

Green Key Unlocked: Benefits of Travel Nursing
General Interest Green Key News Healthcare Worklife

Green Key Unlocked: Benefits of Travel Nursing

How to Maintain Culture in Remote Environments
Architecture + Engineering General Interest Green Key News Worklife

How to Maintain Culture in Remote Environments

Tips to Strengthen Time Management
General Interest Green Key News Leadership + Management Worklife

Tips to Strengthen Time Management

#WeAreGreenKey: Spotlight on Katie Kressel
General Interest Green Key News Human Resources Leadership + Management Professional Support Worklife

#WeAreGreenKey: Spotlight on Katie Kressel

Workplace Trends 2023
General Interest Green Key News Human Resources Leadership + Management Worklife

Workplace Trends 2023

#WeAreGreenKey: Spotlight on Jason Kien
Accounting + Finance General Interest Green Key News Leadership + Management Worklife

#WeAreGreenKey: Spotlight on Jason Kien

How to Use ChatGPT to Build a Resume
General Interest Green Key News Information Technology Marketing Technology Worklife

How to Use ChatGPT to Build a Resume

Green Key Unlocked: Data Roles in IT
General Interest Green Key News Information Technology Worklife

Green Key Unlocked: Data Roles in IT

The New Marketing & Sales Team
Marketing Technology

The New Marketing & Sales Team

#WeAreGreenKey: Spotlight on Matt Schirano
General Interest Green Key News Information Technology Leadership + Management Worklife

#WeAreGreenKey: Spotlight on Matt Schirano

Green Key Unlocked: The Effect of Tech Layoffs
General Interest Green Key News Information Technology Leadership + Management Worklife

Green Key Unlocked: The Effect of Tech Layoffs

How to Prepare for a Recruiter Interview with a Staffing Agency
General Interest Green Key News Human Resources Leadership + Management Worklife

How to Prepare for a Recruiter Interview with a Staffing Agency

5 Ways to Make Your Job More Meaningful
General Interest Green Key News Worklife

5 Ways to Make Your Job More Meaningful

Minimum Wage Increases in 2023
Accounting + Finance Architecture + Engineering Financial Services General Interest Green Key News Healthcare Human Resources Information Technology Leadership + Management Legal Support Marketing Technology Pharma Professional Support Worklife

Minimum Wage Increases in 2023

Latest Blog Posts
View All Posts
Impact of Women in Leadership

Impact of Women in Leadership

As we near the end of Women’s History Month, we not only strive to admire all women who have fought...
Read More
Recognizing Women’s History Month in the Workplace

Recognizing Women’s History Month in the Workplace

If you're looking for ways your organization can recognize female contributions, both this month and beyond, we've compiled a handful...
Read More
How Wellness Initiatives Can Strengthen Your Workforce

How Wellness Initiatives Can Strengthen Your Workforce

Establishing an inclusive culture and focusing on employee health can boost productivity, encourage teamwork, and increase better communication.
Read More