Putting principles into practice: A qualitative exploration of the views and experiences of primary care staff regarding patients having online access to their electronic health record

Abstract

Background: NHS England have announced plans to enable all adult patients to have full prospective access to their primary care record by default. Despite this, we know little about the views and experiences of primary care staff regarding patients accessing their records online (ORA). Aim: To examine the views and experiences of primary care staff regarding patients having online access to their primary care health record, and how this service could be supported and improved. Design and setting: A qualitative study of a purposive sample of 30 primary care staff in England. Method: Online semi-structured interviews with primary care staff were conducted between December 2021 and March 2022. Verbatim transcripts were analysed inductively using thematic analysis. Results: Most staff agreed with the principle of patient access to online health records but had mixed feelings regarding the potential benefits and drawbacks of applying this in practice. Staff identified opportunities for improving patient engagement, health literacy and efficiencies in some administrative workloads as well as concerns about maintaining the clinical integrity of patient records and ensuring that staff and patient safety and well-being are protected. Conclusion: Participants acknowledged that ORA may transform the purpose and function of the record and that ORA has potential to instigate a significant cultural shift in primary care, changing how staff work and relate to patients. This underlines the need for additional staff training and support to expand capability and capacity to adapt practice and enhance patient engagement with, and understanding of, their health records.