OpenNotes Project "levels the playing field" between doctors and patients -- Canadian Medical Association Journal

"....The OpenNotes Project aims to improve communication and transparency between doctors and patients, many of whom don’t even realize notes are being taken, says Dr. Tom Delbanco, a lead investigator of the study. "We share these notes with consultants, insurers and people who evaluate quality of care, but almost never with the patient. I think providers feel these are their own records, rather than their patients’, so in quiet ways, perhaps unconsciously, they build up obstacles to patients gaining access to them." As in Canada, American patients have a legal right to review their doctors’ notes as part of their medical records. However, those who wish to gain access to the files often face prohibitive printing or copying fees, lengthy processes and delays, as well as all manner of bureaucratic red tape, says Delbanco. "At the same time, it’s been shown patients remember very little of what goes on in the examining room."...cont'd