Letting people write their own medical records can help patients be more involved in the treatment, scientists say.

Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the US found that patients could benefit if they are invited to co-produce medical notes, called “OurNotes,” with their doctors, rather than merely reading them.

According to the study, published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, the practice may also benefit doctors by reducing time spent on documentation.

“If executed thoughtfully, OurNotes has the potential to reduce documentation demands on clinicians, while having both the patient and clinician focusing on what’s most important to the patient,” said John Mafi, from UCLA.

“Piloting OurNotes will start at four centres in 2018,” he said.

To prepare for the pilots, the researchers conducted in-depth telephone interviews with 29 health care experts.

Participants overall believed that OurNotes could promote patient engagement, improve patient-centred care and patient-provider collaboration, and possibly take some of the documentation burdens off busy providers.