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Patients across the UK could be given more say on their healthcare as part of a consultation document launched by the coalition Government.
Under the plans, people will be able to keep track of their recent treatments and make choices about their care by being given access to their medical records. The proposals could be introduced as early as 2013/14.
A username and password would be allocated to each patient, allowing them to access their records and letting them enter updated information on medical measures like blood pressure levels.
Professor John Williams, director of the health informatics unit at the Royal College of Physicians, said: “As it stands the management of data in the NHS leaves much to be desired.
“Useful information rarely follows the patient through the system, making it more difficult for doctors and nurses to provide them with the personalised treatment they have a right to expect.”
Copyright Press Association 2010
