Singapore - Singapore patients want full access to EHR records

Singapore patients want to have full access to their own electronic health records (EHRs), according to a new study by Accenture.

Two-thirds (66 percent) of consumers who believe they should have EHR access want to see exactly what the doctor sees and are not satisfied by a summary.

The divide between consumers and doctors in Singapore who believe that patients should have full access to their own electronic health records (EHRs) has widened from two years ago, from 73 percent in 2014 to 82 percent today.

Today patients are four times as likely as doctors to believe that patients should have full access to their records.

The number of doctors who believe they should have full access to their records has decreased from 30 percent to 17percent, during the same period.

"Until now, the flow of clinical information has been to the doctor," said Penny O'Hara, managing director, APAC head of healthcare, Accenture. "With digitisation driving a new level of information parity, doctors need to embrace - not resist - the notion of patients having complete access to their records."

Accessing EHR

The number of patients who know exactly what they can access in their EHRs has increased 45 percent over two years, from 44 percent in 2014 to 64 percent today.

More consumers are likely to access their EHR to stay informed than to help with making medical decisions (27 percent vs. 11 percent).

Having access to their physician's notes about the visit (34 percent) and having access to lab results (28 percent) are the areas cited most often by consumers for using their EHRs to manage their health.

Fifty-seven percent of the consumers view an EHR as a tool for their primary doctor and 12 percent believe that the government should have access to their records.

The number of Singapore consumers using wearables and mobile apps for managing their health has increased slightly since 2014. Twenty-two percent percent were asked by a doctor to use wearables to track their health.

"Health providers in Singapore and around the world are also challenged to deliver more affordable, effective care with innovative digital health solutions," said O'Hara. "It is evident that wearables, mobile apps, analytics, cloud and social will fundamentally change the way healthcare is delivered".

Anuradha Shukla

mis