what to do when your medical record was accessed without your permission

Medical records incorporate sensitive personal information most a person. That's why non but anyone is allowed to see them.

General rule: Confidentiality

As a general rule, medical records of patients are confidential. Only patients can encounter them. No one else can see them without a patient'south permission, or the permission of a person allowed to make this kind of decision for the patient (for case, a parent, tutor or curator).

There are a few exceptions to these rules. These exceptions are found in the law, and they allow other people to run into the medical records of patients without their permission.

Notation that anyone who gets the right to see medical records can ask the health care institution or private dispensary for help agreement what they say. Let'southward run across what the correct to run across medical records means.

Patients 14 Years Quondam or Older

As a general rule, patients who are fourteen years or older have a correct to see their medical records. At this age (14 years), minors are also allowed to give their own consent to medical care.

Important! In some situations, patients can be refused admission to their own medical records.

Patients must give permission for other people to see their medical records.

For example,children 14 years former or oldercan pass up to allow their parents encounter their medical records. Parents will non be allowed to come across the child's records if the child refuses and the healthcare institution decides it could be harmful to the child'south health for the parents to see the records.

However, the law creates a few situations in which other people tin run into this kid's medical records without the child's consent (run across beneath).

Patients Nether fourteen

Children under the age of fourteen are not allowed to read their own medical records. But this dominion is not meant to stop children from talking openly with their health care professionals.

Commonly it is the parents of these children who have access to the medical records.

Parents of a Kid Under 18

The parents of a child under 18 or the people with parental authorization have the right to access their child's medical records.

However, admission tin be refused in sure situations.

Also, subsequently a child turns 18, the parents no longer have the right to admission the kid'due south medical records.

Representatives of Adult Patients

Adults who have a health status that prevents them from taking care of themselves or their property tin be declared incapable by a courtroom. Another person is then appointed to represent them and act in their best interests. The representative is chosen a tutor, curator or mandatary.

For patients who are unable to make health care decisions on their own, their tutor, curator or mandatary decides for them.

Patients who tin can't given their consent to  medical care but have non been alleged incapable are represented by their spouse or a close family member or friend, or a person who shows a item interest towards them.

The representative of the patient is immune to run into information in the patient'due south medical records, but only if this is necessary to make health intendance decisions on behalf of the patient.

Heirs and Family of a Deceased Patient

If a patient dies, the heirs (people entitled to inherit) and family take access to the information in the patient'southward medical records, simply only under certain conditions. Access to the records is limited to necessary information.

Heirs

The heirs must clearly explain why they need access to the patient's medical records to exercise their rights as heirs. For instance, heirs can get access to the medical records past proving they programme to take legal action or file a complaint against the health intendance institution.

Then the institution will evaluate the request for access.

Important: Heirs must evidence that they are in fact heirs by providing a copy of the will and other documents needed for the asking to access medical records.

Family unit

The spouse and immediate family of a patient who has died are only allowed to encounter information nigh the patient's cause of death.However, they cannot see this information if the patient provided a written refusal in accelerate.

Claret relatives of the deceased patient can have access to the information in the medical records to verify the being of a specific genetic or inherited illness. In this type of situation, the patient's accelerate written refusal does non employ.

When request for access to medical records, relatives must specifically place the illness they want to know nearly. Also, the request for admission must provide details and explicate the reasons why they need access.

Other People, With the Patient's Consent

Patients tin can requite anyone permission to see their medical records. Permission can be for the entire medical record or for a specific section.

Permission given past patients for other people to consult their medical records for study, pedagogy or inquiry purposes must be given in writing and is valid only for the elapsing of the action or research.

Other People, Without the Patient'due south Consent

There are some exceptions to the rule of confidentiality of medical records. Some laws draw situations in which certain people can access the information in patients' records without their consent. Here are some examples:

• to prevent an act of violence, including suicide, when there is a real and urgent adventure of death or serious injury to a person or group of people that can be identified
• for written report, education or research purposes (In specific cases, the director of professional services or director general of the health care institution can qualify a professional person to consult the medical records for these reasons. The authorized professional must respect the confidential nature of the information.)
• if a patient is transferred (The institution transferring the patient must send the other institution a summary of the information information technology will need to take over the patient's case.)
• post-obit an order of a court or a coroner

Other laws provide that patients' medical data tin be given without their permission to sure organizations in specific situations. Examples include the Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST, the lath that deals with workers' compensation) and the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse (Quebec man rights commission) or Manager of Youth Protection (DYP).

The reason for these exceptions is to protect the individual and lodge, and for quality control.

Employers

Employers do not have access to their employees' medical records.

However, employers are allowed to know well-nigh important medical data in specific situations:

• If an employee is absent from work for many days due to illness, the employer can ask for a medical document explaining the absenteeism.
• If the employer has reason to believe the employee is not physically able to exercise the work required, the employee can be asked to have a medical examination. The employer volition and then be immune to read themedical report prepared by the skillful who met with the employee.

Employers are non allowed to ask for a re-create of a future employee's medical records during the hiring process. But the employer tin evaluate the candidate's concrete and psychological abilities to practise the job past asking questions or by asking the employee to have a medical evaluation. In this instance, the employer has access to the expert's report.

The person who is responsible for employees and for decisions that concern them (for example, the director of personnel) is the just one immune to access an employee's medical information.

Important! If access to a medical record is refused, a request for review of the decision can be made. Just the documents submitted with the first request for access will be considered. So it'southward all-time to make the start request every bit detailed as possible and include the necessary documents.

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Source: https://educaloi.qc.ca/en/capsules/the-right-to-access-medical-records/

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