I had a plan that ALL patients should hold their own records, present them
every time they attend the surgery, keep them organised and up to date,
correct any spelling mistakes, and do their own filing of letters and hospital
summaries. There would have been a system of fines for patients who mislaid
their notes, and spilling coffee on them would be punishable by life
imprisonment.
Since the advent of computer records, and until the advent of patient held
smart cards, I have had to ditch this plan. ;-)
Seriously, and speaking personally, I am all in favour of patient held
records. However, am NOT in favour of poor doctor or nurse having to enter
data twice - once in patient held records and once in kept medical records.
Since some patients are notoriously unreliable, high non attendance rates for
appointments at hospital out patients and surgeries confirm this, the
possiblity of lost records is worrying - for reasons of continuing health care
and for medicolegal reasons. Only highly motivated patients (pregnant ladies
for example) can be trusted to keep their medical records safe.
Confidentiality is also a problem. Husbands looking at wives records, mothers
looking at teenagers records, etc.
Yours,
Ruth Livingstone
http://www.stamford.co.uk/littlesurgery
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From: [log in to unmask] on behalf of Michael Durham
Sent: Thursday, January 15, 1998 12:43
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Patient held records
Does anybody have any strong views about patient held records??
Michael Durham
The Observer
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