STHC-L: The Science, Technology and Health Care Archives Forum

Patient records

• Date: Mon, 09 Apr 2001 18:03:10 +1000
• To: sthc-l@library.ucla.edu
• From: Robyn Waymouth <waymoutr@cryptic.rch.unimelb.edu.au>
• Subject: Patient records
• Message-ID: 3.0.6.32.20010409180310.00796b10@cryptic.rch.unimelb.edu.au

I am currently gathering opinions from people with interest in the issue of
public access to patient records, with the possiblility in mind of
proposing a period after which such records could be placed on open access.
 There is very strict legislative and medical ethics control over access to
information in patient records, and some quite specific grounds and
procedures for breaching patient confidentiality.  But what interests me at
the moment is when, indeed if, we can ever regard confidentiality to have
lapsed.  This would probably involve legislative change, and I haven't even
begun to think about how one accomplishes that, but I have to start somewhere.

I am the Archivist at the Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia.
This hospital was founded in 1856, is the 2nd oldest hospital in Melbourne
and the oldest women's hospital in Australia.  We have records from our
very first patient until today - not all of them, but a very significant
proportion.

As so many of our records are of midwifery patients, we also need to
consider the children's need for privacy, which may make closure periods
longer than for other classes of patients.  I am thinking that the minimum
period might be 100 years.

I would be very pleased to hear from you.  Please pass this email on to
anyone else you know who might be able to respond.  I apologise if you've
already seen this elsewhere.

Thanks,


Robyn Waymouth
Archivist
Royal Women's Hospital

132 Grattan Street
Carlton  3053
Victoria   Australia

Phone: 03 9344 2032
Facimile: 03 9348 1840