Table 2.

Themes of perceived benefits of viewing medical notes.

Benefits			Mentions (n=2178), n (%)
Supports remembering			560 (25.7)
	What a doctor or a nurse said	505 (23.2)
	The care history	55 (2.5)
Provides information			495 (22.7)
	About health and care	223 (15.0)
	To check the state of health and remain up-to-date	74 (3.4)
	On how I and my disease are perceived	70 (3.2)
	On all information concerning myself	43 (2.0)
	That is more detailed and was not said during the appointment	34 (1.6)
	About what was done during an appointment	30 (1.4)
	On diagnoses	21 (1.0)
Convenience of patient portal access			449 (20.6)
	Ability to return to view all the saved information	155 (7.1)
	Can be checked at leisure	98 (4.5)
	No need to call or contact health care	73 (3.4)
	Easy of finding information	57 (2.6)
	Fast access	56 (2.6)
	Clear and reliable information	10 (0.5)
Helps in understanding			339 (15.6)
	Own condition or what was said	326 (15.0)
	Whether more can be asked if something was unclear	13 (0.6)
Ability to check the notes			234 (10.7)
	Identifying potential errors and misunderstandings	142 (6.5)
	Asking for error corrections	65 (3.0)
	Checking that all essential information was written	21 (1.0)
	Increases transparency and reliability	6 (0.3)
Supports self-management			175 (8.0)
	Checking the care plan and next steps	63 (2.9)
	Following the course of care success	36 (1.7)
	Preparing for the next appointment	29 (1.3)
	Looking for further information	14 (0.6)
	Helps in communicating with health care professionals, learning to express yourself	14 (0.6)
	Supports self-care	13 (0.6)
	Enables peace of mind	6 (0.3)