As many as half of Americans with chronic illness do not take their medications as prescribed and, on average, patients remember about half of the information conveyed during an office visit. As patients increasingly read their visit notes through online portals (http://www.opennotes.org), reports suggest that patient access to notes may improve adherence.
Researchers from Harvard Medical School, the University of Washington and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center surveyed more than 29,000 patients at the original OpenNotes pilot sites (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Geisinger, and the University of Washington Medical Center) to. The researchers found that many patients at all three survey sites reported that note reading helped them understand why a medication was prescribed, answered their questions, and made them feel more comfortable and in control of their medications. Very few of the respondents reported that notes made them feel worried or confused about their medications.
According to the authors of an accompanying editorial from The Commonwealth Fund in New York City, the study findings are reassuring, as they showed no adverse effects of sharing clinical records with patients. The editorial authors recommend several measures, including medical education, physician preparedness regarding privacy and security protection, collaboration on mobile applications, and improved incorporation of nontraditional sources of patient information (wearables, social media, mobile devices), to improve the chances that increased transparency will have the hoped-for beneficial effects on the clinical experiences of patients and physicians.
3. Better supporting the care needs of older adults with disabilities could reduce Medicare spending
Implementation of comprehensive community-based long-term services and supports for older adults with disabilities may curb Medicare spending on this population in the long run. Findings from an observational study are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Nearly 15 million older Americans with disability live in the community and the availability and adequacy of support with daily activities has a profound effect on their participation in valued activities, quality of life, and health. While older adults with disability are heavy users of services and incur high health care spending, it is not known how adequacy of support may affect Medicare spending.
