People now have access to their own electronic medical records, but few people are requesting that information. In this video, HealthMaker James Fowler, PhD, professor of medical genetics and political science at UCSD, explains.
Yeah it's been a little bit disappointing because the law by now says you should be able to walk into your doctor's and get your electronic medical record and you can't even do that in a lot of places there's more space if you still can't do this. And so progress has been in somewhat so but there are I think some success stories Kaiser Permanente they have a really good electronic medical references and we're starting to try to work with them to bring in some social data in an optimal research study and it's really important I think in these early days to make sure that these first head of studies that people understand everything that's ongoing with the data because we still don't even have I think a lot of experience.
We are having access to our own medical records and this all reminds me, there was a sign product or so in the 90s where the characters wanted to look at their chart and the doctor wouldn't show it to them and the whole thing was that there at secret notes on this chart about.
What a troublesome patients, about one of the main character was and ends and so there's always been this sort of sense that I don't even have a right to that information. But, I think one of the nice thing's, about the massive, passive data ambush, that's going online, is that people are starting, to become aware that they own their data, and they should be able to get access, through it, when they want.
James Fowler is professor of medical genetics and political science at the University of California, San Diego. He explains how your friends and social network influence your health and how big data can help improve healthcare.
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