Table 4.

Sample patient responses to open-ended survey questions, ‘Did something (good or bad) happened as a result of reading notes?’ (Please describe your experience) and ‘Please briefly tell us about how you used your notes’

Topic	Illustrative patient quote
Trust	‘I saw that my doctor truly listens to what I have to say. I respect, trust and appreciate her even more’
Confidence	‘[Reading the note] gave me insight into the evaluation process my Doctor used and gave me confidence in his abilities’
Collaboration	‘I use my doctor’s notes as a reminder of what she and I agreed that I should do to improve my health. I also see how much my doctor really makes an effort to listen to and address my concerns’
Understanding	‘Reading the notes made it easier for me to understand what the doctor has said and what I need to do…’
Engagement	‘I look at the notes like a report card or a performance review. I can see what I am doing right and what needs improvement’
Confirmation	‘I wanted to check to make sure I left with the correct impression…sometimes so much is happening or you are anxious and you can’t hear it all clearly’
Remember	‘I am more relaxed during the appointments in that I don’t have to remember every detail’
Errors/safety partnership	‘[I] just wanted to confirm accuracy. My husband’s note says he has a 40-year [history of] back pain, but it was actually only a 4-year [history of ] back pain. When providers copy and paste, the errors just keep propagating and never get corrected unless we see our notes’