BMJ  2007;334:510 (10 March), doi:10.1136/bmj.39146.615081.59

Observations

Border crossing

My illness, my record

Full access to personal health records should be a right, not a privilege

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Few doctors would disagree that continuity of care matters, or that recent changes in medical training and practice have reduced it. Those who have escaped the frustration of dealing with a patient who has run the gauntlet of professional opinion and whose notes are "missing" lead a charmed existence.

Never mind professionals' frustration; what about the patient's? When illness, or fear of it, prompts a patient to consult a doctor, it's often a high stakes event. When the doctor has no access or limited access to the records, and the patient can't provide the relevant details, it's stressful to say the least.

I speak from the heart. As patient and patient advocate, my medical odyssey has taken me to more than a dozen hospitals and GP surgeries across England over the past three years. Not in pursuit of second opinions, but because of the way we live and the nature . . . [Full text of this article]

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This article has been cited by other articles:

• Pagliari, C., Detmer, D., Singleton, P. (2007). Potential of electronic personal health records. BMJ 335: 330-333 [Full text]  
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Rapid Responses:

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Vulnerable people have most to lose from on-line record access

Brian H McKinstry
bmj.com, 13 Mar 2007 [Full text]

And not National Records

Roger Hayter
bmj.com, 13 Mar 2007 [Full text]

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Brian H Fisher
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The UK lags behind other countries

Angela Coulter
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Patient record access: a catalyst for improvement.

Robert K. McKinley, et al.
bmj.com, 14 Mar 2007 [Full text]

Is society ready for Records Access?

Amir S Hannan
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Record access

Mark B Duman
bmj.com, 14 Mar 2007 [Full text]

Re: The UK lags behind other countries

susanne mccabe
bmj.com, 15 Mar 2007 [Full text]

Do you want to know more about Records Access

Amir S Hannan
bmj.com, 24 Mar 2007 [Full text]

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