BMJ - PKI and signinng slight confusion

[Adrian Midgley]

From: mark.brewis@edl.uk.eds.com

>Every page of GP notes says on it
>"This is the property of the secretary of state for health"  or
>latterly, the health authority.<<
>
>Yes, that was raised - there was some debate over who was actually
>buying the paper, at one level,

I don't buy the paper I use.  It arrives in boxes form the HA
Some GPs use A4, whcih should be FP111 but are actually told
officially to just use A4 paper.  Now there is a questionnable
assumption of ownership.

The legitimisation of electronic-only records has been long awaited
and is overdue.
These are transmitted onward by being printed.
No form is provided for this purpose.
There is muddle...


>Does that, therefore, make GP notes patient owned?  For example, what
>occurs if a patient moves abroad, are their records released to a
foreign
>doctor?

No.

>If not, then the concept of 'Patient' records is a nonsense.  Better
to
>call them government statistical data records (Health) ;-)

Well no.  They are narratalogical rather than statistical.
The best description for them is "medical records" I feel.
Maybe "health records" sometimes.

--
Midgley