Me to we: Introducing collaborative elements in the electronic record.

For physicians, dissatisfaction with electronic medical records often stems from being overwhelmed by redundant data entry tasks, while for patients dissatisfaction can result from being unable to access their data. The collaborative health record is a way to improve communication and engagement between patients and their health care teams while recognizing that health concerns do not always arise during regular office hours. During conversion of records from paper to electronic formats over the past 2 decades, quantity rather than quality was emphasized, and physicians were given incentives to move quickly from paper workflows in hard copy form to paper workflows in digital form. This has resulted in "systems of record" rather than "systems of engagement," which need to be improved by involving the patient, the physician, and other health care team members in meaningful interactions. Such a collaborative system can allow for patient engagement, integration of patientreported outcome measures, and asynchronous communication. By ensuring that physicians have the best tools, health care may see the same remarkable returns on investment that digitalization has afforded other industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]