What are the patient safety implications of mental health OpenNotes?
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Service-user, carer, clinical, and stakeholder perspectives on the risks and benefits of open online clinical case-notes for mental health: a single site qualitative pilot study.
IRAS ID
330675
Contact name
Clare McGuinn
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Bradford District NHS Foundation Care Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 1 days
Research summary
The term ‘OpenNotes’ is used to describe clinical case-notes, written by health professionals, made available online for service-users to access. In physical health settings, research provides evidence for the potential benefits of OpenNotes; these include enhanced service-user empowerment and a sense of involvement and co-management of health. Research in mental health settings is comparatively scant, reflecting the significantly reduced provision of OpenNotes for this population. When mental health OpenNotes are implemented, access is often restricted in relation to the perceived risks they may present. Although service-users predominantly see the benefits of mental health OpenNotes, mental health professionals (MHPs) are largely skeptical that benefits outweigh perceived risks. Despite that, some MHPs see OpenNotes as an invaluable opportunity to enhance patient-centered care and increase collaboration. Risk assessment and risk management in mental health is seen to be more effective when such collaborative engagement between MHPs and service-users exists. The startling dichotomy, therefore, is that MHPs fears of the perceived risks of OpenNotes, thought to underlie the resistance to widespread implementation, may unwittingly forego the potential improvement of patient safety in mental health, that OpenNotes may offer. This study will recruit participants from within the population of Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust (BDCFT) to explore the perceptions of the key actors involved in relation to the patient safety implications of mental health OpenNotes. Focus-groups and workshops will place the voices of service-users, and carers, alongside MHPs, to investigate where commonalities and divergencies in perceptions of OpenNotes may lie, and provide pragmatic solutions towards the further research and development of mental health OpenNotes systems for the benefit of patient safety. The study is funded by the NIHR Yorkshire and Humber Patient Safety Translational Research Centre – Innovation Challenge Fund and will be conducted over 18months on the premises of the study sponsor - BDCFT.
REC name
Wales REC 7
REC reference
23/WA/0227
Date of REC Opinion
28 Sep 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion