The Prime Function Of Keeping Medical Records - 1917 Words

The prime function of keeping medical records is for all health workers to be able to readily access important medical information when required. This will include details of treatments, allergies, medication health conditions, tests; results etc. (NHS, 2013). This data is also used to improve services provided by the NHS (NHS, 2013). The NHS claim to take the issue of patient privacy extremely seriously however is this really the case. A review of relevant literature has been carried out in order to determine the extent to which the NHS safeguards patient records. There are many issues which need to be considered whilst discussing the matter of patient privacy; there are social and ethical issues as well as professional and legislative†¦show more content†¦The NHS which has been accumulating information from the 1980’s is said to have some of the best information systems in the world (NHS, 2014). However how secure is this sensitive patient data amid growing privacy concerns. The NHS has recently been criticised for the mismanagement of patient records however is their justification defensible. Confidentiality is an ethical duty and it is crucial that patient data is kept confidential. Lowth (2013) states that â€Å"patient confidentiality is fundamental to good medical practice†. Patient consent must be taken when medical data is disclosed to any party however information can be disclosed without consent in two situations, firstly if the disclosure is required by law (e.g. court orders and police) and secondly if the disclosure is in the public interest (e.g. road traffic legislation, government authorities such as the DVLA or incidents such where physical harm has been caused to a being then doctors must disclose details to the police (Lowth, 2013). In 2013 a data extraction programme was called for which allows the sharing of confidential patient information with research organisations, commissioners and private firms (Pulse, 2013). The legality of this agenda had been questioned as many trained hackers would have sensitive patient data readily available to them through the Department of Health. The NHS justify this record sharing initiative in a short publication (2014) which states that better