What part of “Give us our damn data” do you not understand?

December 15, 2009 · Filed Under hc's problem list, medical records, policy issues, pt/doc co-care · 52 Comments 

Yesterday I attended “How Access to Information Can Empower Patients and their Caregivers,” conducted by the Consumer Partnership for eHealth. CPeH is an alliance of stakeholder groups sponsored by the National Partnership for Women and Families. It has no web site of its own – it’s just a Partnership for Consumer eHealth (duh), convening to work on accomplishing good health through IT – especially health data.

An incredible moment (and I don’t say that often) happened after three physicians presented how their organizations are giving patients access to their medical records online. Their presentations were all encouraging. But during Q&A we got down to the nitty details, and comments from two physicians revealed a well-meaning attitude that I can only describe as protective and paternal:

  • Concern about emotional impact of bad news
  • Concern about the difficulty of interpreting some reports: “Even I can’t understand radiology reports sometimes.”

Regina Holliday was there – the “73 Cents” artist whose husband died of kidney cancer in June. Ted Eytan MD, an avid advocate of patient empowerment, asked her thoughts. With a cold clear look in her eye she said: Read more