A friend sent me this link to an article in The Guardian newspaper. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/may/01/one-in-four-patients-in-...
(We found similar results in a smaller analysis reported some years ago: Sharing electronic health records: the patient view - PubMed Inform Prim Care. 2006;14(1):55-7. doi: 10.14236/jhi.v14i1.614.Sharing electronic health records: the patient view John Powell 1, Richard Fitton, Caroline Fitton
Affiliations Expand PMID: 16848967 DOI: 10.14236/jhi.v14i1.614)
Here is an extract of the Guardian article:
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"One in four patients in England find errors in medical records, watchdog says
Healthwatch England says mistakes mean some patients are refused care or given drugs they do not need
Almost one in four patients in England have found mistakes in their medical records such as errors over their illness, drugs they have taken or treatment they have received.
The blunders have led to patients missing out on diagnostic tests or treatment, being refused care or being given medication they did not need, research by an NHS watchdog has found.
In some cases, their official medical history wrongly said they had illnesses they had never had.
Healthwatch England, which revealed how often such inaccuracies occur in medical records, urged the NHS to do more to “get the basics right” when staff record details of patients and their care.
In a representative survey of 1,800 adults living in England, 409 (23%) of them said they had come across mistakes or missing details, such as their name or date of birth, in their patient records.
Some errors are so serious they could put patients at risk, for example by missing out on treatment they need, said Louise Ansari, Healthwatch’s chief executive.
She said the body, which is the health service’s patient champion in England, commissioned the survey after patients told it of “alarming issues” with medical records.
“Missed information and mistakes in medical records are frustrating and can put people’s health at risk. Sorting admin problems is not always easy and can be time-consuming, putting pressure on patients or their families,” Ansari said.
Among the reported errors:
• 26% related to personal details such as name or date of birth.
• 16% involved medication a patient had taken.
• 9% of errors incorrectly listed a patient as having had a particular illness
• 9% said a patient had taken specific drugs to treat an ailment.
Among that group, 10% said they had been given wrong or inappropriate medication as a result of the error, and 9% said they had received potentially unsafe care or treatment.
One in eight (12%) said inaccurate or missing information had led to them being refused treatment.
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HIFA profile: Richard Fitton is a retired family doctor - GP. Professional interests: Health literacy, patient partnership of trust and implementation of healthcare with professionals, family and public involvement in the prevention of modern lifestyle diseases, patients using access to professional records to overcome confidentiality barriers to care, patients as part of the policing of the use of their patient data Email address: richardpeterfitton7 AT gmail.com