Releasing patient medical charts has entered a new phase due to recent advances in electronic medical chart systems. The author et al. previously surveyed patients and healthcare personnel using the same questionnaire, in order to compare patient responses with healthcare personnel responses.
Based on the survey results, the author has pursued a better way of providing medical chart information. This time, a questionnaire raising ethical issues has been administered and the survey results analyzed.
The present survey included 1665 persons consisting of 715 patients, 619 healthcare personnel, and 126 employees of companies associated with the university hospital surveyed. As a result, there were differences in responses among the patients, healthcare personnel, and company employees concerning the questions on ethical issues. For example, if releasing patient medical charts is promoted, physicians may stop candidly commenting on the charts, sparing patient feelings.
Concerning this, a significantly higher proportion of the healthcare personnel responded that it could not be helped compared to the patients and company employees (Physicians: 65.9%, Nurses: 55.6%, Company employees: 37.9%, Outpatients: 35.5%, Inpatients: 34.8%).
As a general rule, patient medical charts should be released. However, information raising ethical issues (e.g. a medical chart documenting child abuse) strongly influences the judgment of whether to release a medical chart. An age of electronic medical chart systems is coming. We recommend that releasing patient medical charts should be discussed concerning both technical problems and ethical issues.
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