The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
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The aim of this study was to examine cancer patients' reactions to the offer of access to their medical records, hospital doctors' preconceptions of patient access to medical records and the reality of access to records for both parties. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 32 patients and 21 hospital doctors. ⋯ Doctors expected access to records to be harmful to patients but would not have wished to amend many of the letters they had written. Patient access to records can be a safe and useful adjunct to good patient care.