Impact of providing patients access to electronic health records on quality and safety of care: a systematic review and meta-analysis (June 2020)

Summary

Providing patients with access to electronic health records (EHRs) may improve quality of care by providing patients with their personal health information and involving them as key stakeholders in the self-management of their health and disease. With the widespread use of these digital solutions, there is a growing need to evaluate their impact, in order to better understand their risks and benefits and to inform health policies that are both patient-centred and evidence-based.

The objective of this paper, published by BMJ Quality & Safety, was to evaluate the impact of sharing electronic health records (EHRs) with patients and map it across six domains of quality of care:

• patient-centredness
• effectiveness
• efficiency
• timeliness
• equity
• safety.