COVID-19 and Open Notes: A New Method to Enhance Patient Safety and Trust

From April 5, 2021, as part of the 21st Century Cures Act, all providers in United States must offer patients access to medical information housed their electronic records. Via secure health portals, can log lab and test results, lists prescribed medications, referral appointments, narrative reports written by clinicians (so-called open notes). As US implement this practice innovation, we describe six promising ways which patients' notes might help address problems that either emerged with or were exacerbated COVID-19 pandemic.