People taking control of their own health information

Abstract

The focus of this article is on the current and future state of people taking more control over their health information in a way that is facilitated by the use of technology. Nurses and midwives are already taking a significant leadership role in this space in advancing this agenda in healthcare. In the future, nurses and midwives will have an increasingly important role in not only advocating and advancing access of health information to patients, but also in identifying and providing supports to allow this to happen in both a meaningful and helpful way. The article will provide an overview of some of the current technologies that individuals use to obtain access to their health information. It will discuss some of the barriers to, and facilitators of, access and use of these technologies. Lastly, the article will conclude with a focus on the future, where trends and future outlooks related to increasing access to health information will be described.