More and more hospitals are opening patient portals, which enable patients to view their medical records online. Some hospitals take it one step further and offer patients real-time access. The right to digital access to data, either locally or at a distance, will be established in the course of the next few years in new European General Data Protection Regulation and in the Netherlands 'law for supplementary conditions for processing personal data in the care sector' ('Wet aanvullende bepalingen verwerking persoonsgegevens in de zorg'). These developments give relevancy to the question whether real-time access to medical records is desirable for good care provision. There are pros and cons to real-time access. Many of the pros also apply when access is provided after a short buffer period and more research, particularly into potential damaging consequences, is desirable. When all aspects are taken into consideration, a system of real-time access can be in conflict with good care provision in certain situations, for instance, if it is not possible to set up a buffer period.