Perhaps the thought of reading the details of your hysterectomy, prostatectomy, or open-heart surgery is not appealing. This is understandable. Here is an opportunity to define how extensively you want to interact with your records.

Previously I discussed the benefits of obtaining and maintaining all of your medical records in one location for continuity of your care. However, obtaining your records and reading them are two very different things. You can obtain your records and never read them, leaving that to the clinicians. Or you can read every page of every record, line by line. The best approach for most patients is probably somewhere in the middle.

Remember this caveat: reviewing a medical record for a novice may be daunting. As you review your record, it is important not to jump to conclusions based on discrete pieces of data. If you do have questions or concerns, you need to ask your physician to provide his or her interpretation of all the information. Start out your review by using my suggested approach and, as you become more familiar with your records, delve into different parts in more detail.