Medical records will not be uploaded to a central computer system in some parts of the country until the public is made more aware of the move, the government has agreed.
The British Medical Association raised fears that some regions were seeing an accelerated rollout of the summary care record without proper consent from patients.
More than 1.25 million patient records have already gone online and some 50 million will be uploaded on to the database over time.
The record contains basic details like name, allergies, medication and adverse reactions, with further details possibly being added over time.
Patients in some regions have received letters about the records, giving them the chance to opt out of having one created online.
But the BMA said last month the programme was happening too fast in some parts of England and called for a suspension.
The Department of Health has now told the BMA records will not go online in accelerated rollout areas until there is greater public and professional awareness.
Dr Grant Ingrams, chairman of the BMA’s GP IT committee, said: “This is a positive step.
“Summary care records have the potential to improve healthcare for patients if implemented appropriately.”
1 Readers' comment