Are Shared Electronic Care Records Improving Care? Insights from IFIC’s 2025 Survey

Are Digital Health Records Actually Improving Care? What the 2025 Survey Tells Us

When you visit your GP, go to A&E, or see a specialist, does everyone involved in your care have access to the same information about you? For many people, the answer is still no. The International Foundation for Integrated Care's (IFIC) 2025 Annual Survey set out to understand whether shared electronic care records are making a real difference when they are in place.

Who They Asked and How

The survey gathered responses from 135 people from Europe, Canada, the USA, Australia, and Singapore over eight weeks, including patients, carers, doctors, nurses, social care workers, policymakers, and researchers. To dig deeper into the issues, the team then held seven focus group discussions with 22 participants, giving people a chance to share their experiences in detail.

What Patients and Carers Experienced

The findings revealed a mixed picture.

Just over half (59%) of patients and carers said that their health and care workers had access to electronic records most of the time. However, only 48% experienced these records being shared between different organisations—for example, between their GP surgery and the hospital.

Here's the encouraging part: when records were shared across different services, nearly 8 in 10 people (79%) said their care improved. They reported better communication between professionals, clearer understanding of their own care, more involvement in decisions, and—perhaps most importantly—not having to repeat the same information over and over to different people.

What Health and Care Workers Said

Providers had slightly better access to electronic records (76%), but faced similar problems with sharing across organisational boundaries (46%). When sharing did work, the results were impressive: 96% said it improved their ability to coordinate care. They highlighted better communication between colleagues, which led to better decisions about treatment and safer care overall.

Why Isn't It Working Everywhere?

The research identified four main obstacles. First, the technology itself—many older systems simply can't talk to each other, creating information silos. Second, organisational challenges like funding, leadership support, and how services are structured. Third, professional concerns—some staff worry about changes to their working practices or professional responsibilities. Finally, patient-related issues including privacy concerns and questions about who should have access to personal health information.

What Needs to Happen

The survey makes it clear that simply installing new technology isn't enough. Success requires addressing all these challenges together. Organisations need to invest in systems that actually work together, train staff properly, be transparent about privacy protections, and most importantly, put the needs of patients at the centre.

The Bottom Line

Shared electronic care records can make a real difference to people's experiences of care. When different parts of the health and care system can see the same information, care becomes better coordinated, safer, and less frustrating for everyone involved. But we're not there yet. Making this work requires commitment from policymakers, health and care organisations, and professionals to tackle the technical, organisational, and cultural barriers that are still holding us back.

The good news is that where it's working, people can see the benefits. The challenge now is to learn from these successes and make shared records a reality for everyone.