Patient access to records: tonic or toxin?

The authors review their experiences in permitting psychiatric patients to read their own records. Patients are permitted to read the records with a staff member present to explain the information in the record. Copies of the records are not provided, nor is the patient always provided access to the complete record. Permitting this type of limited patient access to records has resulted in a generally positive experience for the patients, and harm has not ensued.