[log in to unmask],Net wrote at 10:43 on 04/10/98
about "Re: missing records and information management":
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>>MIdge said:
>>>It is no longer acceptable that OoH centres do not provide access to
>>>the notes, IMHO.
>
>Do you mean notes or electronic records?
I thought somebody would rise to that one.
I was of course concentrating onthe difficult part of it, extracting
textual info from several databases, and left the simple part of
sharing the notes already on paper unremarked upon.
Obviously we do what the practice in Brixham already does and what
the insurance industry is moving toward, and scan in and maintain as
images the previous paper records.[3]
Since this is neither difficult nore yet widespread I submit that
providing every GP in the co-op/PCG with the technology to view such
records and store their own would be a minor task.
There are other advantages to it.[2]
>Even if you did, *would there be any assurance that the accessible
>record was not dangerously incomplete?*
This applies as much within the practice as outside, does it not?
>It may be *safer* to work with the knowledge that you *don't* have the
>record than to be deluded into thinking that you do!
>Mary
It isn't. But you are correct to remind us that we should not be
deluded into thinking that the notes we make contain everything.
However, unless generations of doctors since at least the turn of
the century are wrong in making notes and using them, I think we
must recognise the need to use them wherever we purport to give
treatment which is as good or better than an individual GP working
on their own for their own patients could give... The co-ops are an
explicit statement that we are giving such treatment, and need to
have extended to them, using the development funds and other
resources such as "the widespread centrally funded introduction of
networking into the NHS" [1]
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[1] 6 letters, sounds unlikely in its current form.<g>
But desirable in general terms.
[2] Such as the provision for the first time of a comprehensive
off-site backup of paper records. For that reason alone the defence
orgs should applaud it.
[3] (there are various technologies
available including the horrible Adobe PDF which can put a secuity
stamp upon it - hint, when making records intended to be shown on
screen make sure they occupy no more than one screen per page)
--- OffRoad 1.9r registered to Adrian Midgley
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