Why this platform? Read more...

Articles


Letter on Record Access by Sir Graeme Catto (GMC-UK)

Sir Graeme Catto, President General Medical Council, UK

Sir Graeme Catto

Records Access

The GMC’s statement of the values of the profession Duties of a Doctor and our core guidance Good Medical Practice emphasise the importance of doctors working in partnership with patients. To achieve this, doctors and patients need to communicate effectively with one another, and doctors must provide patients’ with information that they want or need to know in order to make decisions about their care. For example in Duties of a Doctor we say that doctors must:

Work in partnership with patients

  • Listen to patients and respond to their concerns and preferences
  • Give patients the information they want or need in a way they can understand
  • Respect patients’ right to reach decisions with you about their treatment and care
  • Support patients’ in caring for themselves to improve and maintain their health.

We welcome and support the use of new technology, including records access systems, which can make a significant contribution to the provision of information patients need in order to make decisions about their care.Of course, patient access to records, on request, has been a requirement under the Data Protection Acts since 1991. The current Act provides safeguards for patients themselves, and for the privacy of third parties. Clearly these legal obligations must be met, whatever means is used to give patients access to records.

Providing access to records outside the context of the Act does introduce some new questions, including the need to record information in a way patients can understand, how bad news, for example from test results, is communicated to patients, and how patients’ privacy can be maintained.

These are not new issues of principle, but practical matters that need to be addressed sensitively. They do not undermine the principles of openness and honesty with patients, or of the benefits of partnerships with patients, which records access systems will foster, and that the GMC supports.

Letter to Dr. Brian Fisher, 31 October 2007, publication authorised by Sir Graeme Catto.

Posted 3 Nov 2007
3 Comments »


Why doctors should not fear but can profit from patients access.

Author: dr. Brian Fisher, GP, London

Brian Fisher

Patients’ record access is here to stay. It is available now in many countries and is gradually extending across the world. There are different systems, through smart cards, kiosks in GP waiting rooms and online.

The reason for this is clear – it is safe and very helpful for patients and for clinicians. The benefits often overlap – what is good for patients is also helpful for professionals. I write this paper from the basis of experience – I have been showing my patients their records for over 20 years now. In the last year, we have been doing this online. We have carried out extensive research in the field. Our learning can help you proceed more safely and more swiftly.
Read the rest of this entry »

Posted 19 Aug 2007
No Comments »

Welcome!

Welcome to the UK Patient Record Access blog!The goal of this blog is to offer patients as well as clinicians the possibility to give their view and experiences on Record Access on an independent platform.The goal of this blog is to offer patients as well as clinicians the possibility to give their view and experiences on Record Access on an independent platform.This platform has arisen from the general ICMCC portal on Patient Record Access and has become the inspiration for other national discussion platforms.

The goal of this blog is to offer patients as well as clinicians the possibility to give their view and experiences on Record Access on an independent platform.This platform has arisen from the general ICMCC portal on and has become the inspiration for other national discussion platforms.We hope you will enjoy taking part in our discussions.

Lodewijk Bos
President ICMCC

Posted 25 Aug 2006
32 Comments »


Click here for more Articles


Discussion


Federal Government’s e-health Platform Hacked

“Some new truths have come out regarding the federal government’s e-health platform, which have almost shocked everyone concerned.
Read the rest of this entry »

Posted 4 Jul 2012
No Comments »


Can patients improve their own health? Results from a study of smartphone use in diabetes and hypertension

“In the last several years that I’ve been studying the topic, I’ve been continually amazed at patients’ seemingly unlimited capacity to perform self-care. Faced with a life-threatening chronic illness, I see patients looking to take control of their condition, rather than recoil in despair.
Read the rest of this entry »

Posted 24 Feb 2012
No Comments »


The real reason why physician groups want to keep using ICD-9 codes

“I have to wonder about the state healthcare information technology (HIT) in this country. Major medical associations can’t seem to let go of ancient technology.
Read the rest of this entry »

Posted 5 Feb 2012
No Comments »


Questions raised about patient access to GP record:

What happens if a patient is misrepresented by those writing the notes whether its a GP or another clinician such as a psychiatrist/psychologist?

Posted 16 Dec 2007
6 Comments »


When the heat is over

Record Access Discussion
in The Guardian, 1 November 2006

‘A national database is not essential’

Warning over privacy of 50m patient files

From cradle to grave, your files available to a cast of thousandsWe invite you to continue here to discuss issues concerning record access.

Posted 2 Nov 2006
6 Comments »


EHR for psychiatric patients

Referring to a recent article on specific aspects of EHR for psychiatric patients, we would like to start a discussion on how the EHR can help the psychiatric community as well as how to deal with these specific issues. We would like to invite clinicians as well as patients to participate.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted 30 Oct 2006
3 Comments »


All discussion items

UK EHR News


Are Patients From Mars and Health Care Professionals from Venus? – Part 1

“It has been a little while I know. Sometimes though the patient in me rears its ugly head again and I have to get out of blogger mode and in to being a bowel transplant patient. That is kind of a long winded apology but The Churchill Hospital, Oxford has seem a little too much of me of late.
Read the rest of this entry »

Posted 7 May 2013
No Comments »


Two thirds of doctors support introduction of electronic health records

“Technology company Accenture has unveiled its latest research which has found that almost two thirds of doctors in England believe that the introduction of electronic health records has improved the quality of patient care.
Read the rest of this entry »

Posted 24 Apr 2013
No Comments »


United Kingdom Eyes VA’s Electronic Health Record

“The Veterans Affairs Department and the United Kingdom’s National Health Service have teamed up to share ideas, strategies and leadership for development of health information technology, opening the possibility that the NHS could use VA’s electronic health record system.
Read the rest of this entry »

Posted 26 Mar 2013
No Comments »


GPs not there on records access – survey

“The overwhelming majority of GP practices are not ready to implement the government’s flagship NHS IT pledge to give patients online access to their records by 2015.
Read the rest of this entry »

Posted 21 Feb 2013
No Comments »


U.K.’s EHR Scheme To Copy Obamacare

“More details have emerged about ambitious plans to roll out electronic health records (EHRs) in the U.K.’s socialized health system, despite the catastrophic failure of a previous $19 billion program to do just that.
Read the rest of this entry »

Posted 23 Jan 2013
No Comments »


Hospitals to have e-records by 2014

“NHS hospitals will need to have operational electronic patient records working by April 2014 to meet the data flow requirements set by the NHS Commissioning Board and as a milestone towards making the NHS paperless by 2018.
Read the rest of this entry »

Posted 23 Jan 2013
No Comments »


All UK EHR news