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Medical records
Medical records are those records which contain all
information regarding a patient’s medical history. This
record gives full details of the person’s health including
references to complications that might have occurred to
the patient and also the kind of prescription medicines
that the patient might be undergoing. These records were
basically created with the intention of providing
reference about a person’s previous medical state in order
to diagnose and treat any new complication that might have
arise. However keeping medical records has now become a
topic of debate and it has several individual privacy
issues that need to be ascertained.
In most places people consider there medical information
as a highly sensitive and personal thing, deserving of the
strongest protection under the law. Strict laws in many
states and the age-old tradition of doctor-patient
privilege have been the mainstay of privacy protection for
decades. Also Medical records privacy laws vary from state
to state hence the extent of privacy protection given to
your medical information often depends on where the
records are located and the purpose for which the
information was compiled. This is because medical privacy
laws vary according to the situation as during filing the
return of insurance coverage, employment opportunities and
during investigation of health and security at your work
site you need to provide your medical records.
What do medical records
contain ?
Medical records are not created at the time of a person’s
birth like a birth certificate. Instead it is created when
a person receives receive treatment from a health
professional such as a physician, nurse, dentist,
chiropractor, or psychiatrist. Records may include the
person’s medical history, details about your lifestyle
such as drinking, smoking or involvement in high-risk
sports, and also family medical history is mentioned in
these reports. In addition, medical records also contain
laboratory test results, medications prescribed, and
reports that indicate the results of operations and other
medical procedures. Records could also include the results
of genetic testing used to predict your future health.
They also might include information about your
participation in some form of medical research sampling
test.
Who has
access to your medical records ?
Although medical records come under the protection of
several privacy laws but the fact is your medical
information is accessed by several individuals and
organizations alike and by both from the medical and non
medical fraternity. However normally it is you who have to |
