Complex Patient Information Preferences Require Dynamic Access Controls

Elderly patients and their family caregivers have complex preferences with regard to the health information they receive and how they receive it, but generally prefer to receive more information, according to a study in the September 2015 JAMA Internal Medicine. The authors interviewed 30 patients at least 75 years old who live in a Boston, Massachusetts, senior housing network, along with 23 of their family member caregivers. Two main themes emerged regarding the use of patient portals to facilitate this information sharing. First, patients expressed concerns that information shared with their family members could have unintended consequences (e.g., disclosing information the patient wishes withheld), and that having information available to their families via portals could amount to being "spied upon."