Access to Medical records

To become a well-informed, self-responsible person you need access to all the information collected about you in Physician and Hospital records. Some progress has been made in electronic records that are easily shared, but there is a need for a revolutionary change in the way medical records are organized and shared. An online service Picnic Health is a step in the right direction. They stated:” Doctors increasingly use electronic medical record systems instead of paper files, which is great news for getting all your records together. Because of some recent legal changes, most doctors using these computer systems must now have what’s known as a “Patient Portal” — a website and/or app that allows you to electronically access a subset of your medical records. If you have one of these portals, you’ll enter your username and password in Picnic Health’s secure signup process. Our system then automates pulling records out of your patient portal, using your username and password to secure access. We’ll also research whether your doctor has a portal available and help you get signed up if you aren’t already... For most people, not all of your information is available through patient portals, both because not all doctors have them set up and because they’re usually missing some key information like doctor’s notes and medical images.” [i]

Medical Information must be understood to have value so that some education in medical terms and methods is required. A revolutionary change would equip most intelligent people with basic knowledge and resources to make sense of their records. Another requirement is to encourage physicians and other medical record sources to use language that can be understood without an MD degree.

Online Information Sharing

There is an abundance of medical information and alternative care sites on the internet. Patient groups with specific diagnoses often start website sites to share information. The challenge to anyone seeking useful information is to find reliable and relevant information. Sometimes patients sharing experiences are more helpful than standard medical advice. WebMD is an example of a readable and reliable information source. [ii] For people with serious disease, a more focused less commercial source is desirable. The Johns Hopkins Medical library is a reliable source. [iii] The US National Library of Medicine Provides an online resource, Medline Plus. They describe:” MedlinePlus is the National Institutes of Health's Web site for patients and their families and friends. Produced by the National Library of Medicine, the world’s largest medical library, it brings you information about diseases, conditions, and wellness issues in language you can understand. MedlinePlus offers reliable, up-to-date health information, anytime, anywhere, for free.” [iv]

For real scholars with a scientific background medical search software can be useful. I use ReadCube. [v]
As an author providing medical information online for 25 years, I utilize the medical literature every day. A the same time , I have a detailed knowledge and specific points of view. I often try to steer patients from MDs who deal only with lab tests and prescribe drugs toward strategies of self-care, modifying and changing disease causing conditions.

[i] PicnicHealth accessed online Feb 2016 https://picnichealth.com/how-it-works
[ii] . Web MD. Accessed online March 2017 http://www.webmd.com/
[iii] Johns Hopkins Medicine Accessed Online Feb 2017 http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/healthlibrary
[iv] Medline Plus. Accessed online March 2017.https://www.medlineplus.gov/
[v] Read Cube. Medical Search Engine. https://www.readcube.com

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