Richard Smith at last has access to his medical records online
12 Oct, 09 | by julietwalker
At last I have online access to my medical records. I wrote a blog some six months ago about how a talk by Harold Shipman’s successor had convinced me that I should get access. I do most of my work online, complete my tax return online, make all my travel arrangements online, bank online, and buy books and CDs online, so surely I should be able to access my medical records online and ideally interact with my doctor and other specialists.
It’s been a long and complicated journey. First, it wasn’t easy to find the email address of my GP. Eventually I rang the practice and was given an email address, which I used. It took her a long time for her to answer as her email address had changed and she rarely accessed the old one, which I’d been given.(GPs have to be careful emailing patients as unless they are using a secure system they don’t know that the person emailing them is the person they say they are. I might have been a journalist from the News of the World trying to get access to my medical records. If so, I’d have been very disappointed by what I found.) My GP said that she would ask the practice manager to help me. The practice manager confirmed that the practice used the EMIS system, which does have a way to allow patients access to their medical records. She also said that I was the first of the 8000 patients in the practice to ask for access. I was the earliest of the early adopters. The practice manager was keen to give me access as she assumed that others would follow, and she wanted to learn the process. She also applied for access to her records in her own practice—and still hasn’t been successful.
A few weeks later I was sent a letter with all the information I needed to access my records. I rushed to my computer and entered all the passwords. I did succeed in getting access to the system that allowed me to make an appointment and get a repeat prescription. But I couldn’t access my records.
So began months of going backwards and forwards, visiting the practice, and ringing EMIS. But after a few false dawns I finally gained access last week.
It was an anticlimax. My records contain almost no information about me. You’d have no idea from these records who I was, what I did, what I thought, or what I care about. You’d know more about me after two minutes on the world wide web than you would from reading everything in my medical record. It’s probably unreasonable of me to expect my medical records to say much about me, but I’d like them to say more. I would, for example, like them to say something about my values. If, for example, this train I’m writing on crashes and I’m severely brain damaged should the doctors do everything possible to keep me alive? The answer’s no, and I like that to be in my records. I’m also happy for every bit of me that’s usable to be put into others. That should be there too, and the doctors in Cheltenham, where the train might crash, should be able to access the records.
That much of what was in my records was garbled and mis-spelt, presumably because the doctors are not very good at typing while they consult. That doesn’t bother me.
There was a note saying they should find out if I smoked for the QOF record. I don’t but once did, while doing the hippy trail in 1973.
And some of the most important information was wrong. It said that I took no drugs, and I do: I take the five ingredients of the polypill. These were prescribed by a cardiologist not the GP, but he had written to the practice. Unsurprisingly the information hadn’t made it into my notes. (I hadn’t been to the practice for a long time, and the last time I went I saw the nurse for malaria tablets.)
Despite the deficiencies of the records, I was very pleased to have online access and grateful to the practice manager for all the patience and persistence she’d shown. I emailed the GP saying how grateful I was, and I pointed out that I was actually taking five drugs. She was horrified and said that I had to be monitored if I was on all those drugs. I said that I didn’t think that was the case, and emailed the cardiologist to see what he thought. So began a mutual education process, which I hope will be useful.
In my email to the GP I confessed that many of my GP friends had told me how relieved they were that I was not their patient. She emailed me back and said that the practice felt “blessed” that I was a patient. I thought I detected sarcasm but was pleased all the same.
i have just been reading your post as i am trying to get access to my hospital records, i need information from my sons birth and death in 1976 and can get no help from anyone HELP do u know who i would contact, he was born in hope hospital salford i have been in contact with them at begining of this year and got a reply saying they would be back intouch, they never did
yours hopefully
sheila
sheila Davies
October 13th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
For some years I could access my GP via email but couldn’t see my medical records other than EMIS medication list. Some months ago, I was informed that no patient could email a GP in the practice directly as they were getting “too many spams “. I wondered who might be sending spams to busy doctors and enquired but no one could amplify this “reason “.
I used to think that good communications were at the heart of doctor-patient relations and augmented trust but now I donot know what to think.
Abdul Jaleel
October 14th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Dear Sheila,
You have a right to see your medical records, although I’m not sure if this goes back to 1976, which was before patients had such a right. Somebody in a Citizens’ Advice Bureau should be able to tell you.
I’m not sure what you have tried already to access your records, but I suggest that you start at the bottom–with a middle manager in the hospital and work up,to the chief executive of the NHS if necessary. One thing you might try is to contact your MP. He or she may well be able to short circuit the process and get you rapid access. You will probably need to be persistent.
Best wishes
Richard
Richard Smith
October 15th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Why are we so reluctant to share medical records with our patients ?
Prior to my retirement, I wrote guidelines for local GPs and consultants (mainly based on Access to Health Rrecords Act ) and was overwhelmed with anxious calls expressing serious professional (maily ethical and legal ) reservations.
It is very rarely that patients seek a sight of their medical records in non-litigious situatios .
my experience is that a firm,business-like letter to the data-holder with a reasonable deadline for reply usually produces favourable response and an opportunity to explore further,if necessary.
Writing to the local MP is not recommended : their intervention often raises antibodie in data-holders’minds.
Abdul Jaleel
October 16th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
have you tried contacting the Information Commissioner?
susanne stevens mccabe
October 19th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
Richard, I am surprised that a young, fit man like yourself would be seduced by the Polypill. What about the Polymeal? Actually eating and living well makes a bigger difference to outcome with only positive side effects.
George Jelinek
October 21st, 2009 at 11:34 am
Some practices actively encourage patients to view their records and EMIS (and perhaps other software providers) have designed systems to make this straightforward - well, fairly straightforward. Given that the law allows patients to access their records, so notes have to be written with that in mind, it seems to me to be valuable to have patients check that the information we hold on them is correct. Notes that state that a patient with elegant arches has flat feet may not matter much to doctor or patient, but incorrect diagnoses of asthma, recording a right rather than a left nephrectomy, differential diagnoses entered as facts and incorrect information on medication all have the potential to be dangerous.
Everyone entering data in notes makes mistakes, be they doctor or nurse or summariser. Patients can help us to help them by checking their records.
Judith Harvey
October 21st, 2009 at 1:08 pm
I think that George is wrong about “eating and living well” being more protective against heart attack and stroke than the polypill. What he may fail to grasp is that virtually everybody–apart perhaps from some Vegans–has high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Perhaps George is a vegan who runs ten miles a day, but I doubt it. The main risk factor for heart attack and stroke is age, and simply by being 57 I have slightly more than a 5% chance in the next 10 years of having a heart atack or stroke–and the risk rises fast. That’s actually a high risk of major disability (I’m less bothered by death).
I’ve written an account of my personal journey with the polypill for the JRSM. It should be published soon.
Richard Smith
October 21st, 2009 at 5:31 pm