[Evaluation of a patient-held medical record by patients--results from the Ried Medical Quality Network].

In the "medical-quality network Ried", an independent practice network in the south of Hessia, an A 4 format patient held record for multi-morbid chronically ill patients is used since 1997. 655 patients (response-rate 71.0%) from sixteen general practitioner (GP) practices were surveyed by written questionnaire. Respondents were in average 68.1 years of age, and for 16.3 years with their GP. 52.2% were male. Patients had their own records for 24.2 months and had in average 1.9 (women) or 2.3 (men) serious health problems. Women had in average 5.0, men had 4.8 different drugs prescribed. 96.7% of the respondents thought that the patient-held record is a good idea, 85.5% felt more secure and 98.7% have it always at hand at home. The patient-held record provides better information about ones own health (92.1%) and 96.6% want to be able to look at their own record. The patient-held record makes it easier for patients to talk to doctors (86.6%) and provides a better overview for the GP (90.8%). The more drugs patients have to take, the more important it becomes for them to have their own record. 68.6% take the record on holyday, 57% take it to other doctors than the GP. 76.4% reported that the patient-held record was used at least once by a specialist, 61.3% by a hospital. 21.8% remembered emergency situations where it was helpful. Only 4.8% thought that it is tiresome. Few proposals for improvement were made, mainly focussing on a smaller format. On the basis of these results patient-held records should be a core activity of practice networks, especially for this type of patients.