摘要：Online patient record access now has quite a long history, mainly in the UK, Europe, and North America and we can see the benefits and risks more clearly. This paper explains why the idea is spreading round the world. The benefits are clear to patients and practices. Resistance, mainly from doctors, remains, but seems to subside once systems for record access are in place. Record access has risks, described here, but most can be minimized. The process shifts the balance of power between clinicians and patients – and developments are likely to drive that further.
