Intended for healthcare professionals

Rapid response to:

Letters Patients accessing their records

Let patients be custodians of their own medical records

BMJ 2017; 359 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j4774 (Published 25 October 2017) Cite this as: BMJ 2017;359:j4774

Rapid Response:

Re: Let patients be custodians of their own medical records

Referring to my letter in the BMJ [1], a response by VKL Shanbhag (on 3rd November 2017) alleged that patients would lose and tamper with medical records; therefore, the treating physician/hospital should be the custodian of the records. This paternalistic stance alludes to patients being irresponsible and incapable of managing and taking care of their own medical records. I believe patients are responsible, capable and understand the importance of their health and well-being and they can better look after their own medical records; hence, be involved in the ownership of their medical records. However, special arrangement may be needed for vulnerable patients such as very young children and adults who cannot decide for themselves. In addition, for patients living in poor and disadvantages communities facing various types of inequalities especially in accessing healthcare, education, and economics opportunities, there is a special need for ensuring equal opportunities including involvement in their healthcare with a full access to their healthcare records.
References
1. Shah SG. Let patients be custodians of their own medical records. BMJ 2017;359:j4774.

Competing interests: No competing interests

07 November 2017
Syed Ghulam Sarwar Shah
Post Doctoral Research Fellow
Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
Occupational Health Department, The Education Centre, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH, UK