How to answer a question on patient access to medical records in a medical school interview
- Topic
- Technology and AI
- Kind
- Policy and health systems
Prompt
Should patients be able to read everything their physician writes in their medical record as soon as it is written?
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Answer it yourself first. The approach to this question opens below when your feedback arrives.
How to approach this question
What this question tests
- Health systems and advocacy
- Critical thinking
- Communication
How to approach it
This panel interview question tests whether you can weigh a patient's right to their own information against the risk that reading it without context could confuse or frighten them. Name the people affected: patients, the physicians writing the notes, and family members who may have access. On one side, put patient autonomy, trust, and the chance for patients to catch errors in their record. On the other, consider bad news arriving before a conversation, shorthand that reads as harsh, and physicians who start writing less candidly. Consider middle options, such as a short delay for certain entries or a clear way for patients to ask questions. Land on a clear position and say which safeguards, if any, you'd attach to it.
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