[Meticulous handling of electronic patient records in general practice]

Abstract

A 41-year-old woman visited her general practitioner because she wished to receive her medical records and those of her two children. She had decided to move pending divorce and wanted to transfer her medical information to another physician. The information was handed to her on a floppy disk. The next day her husband came and demanded that his own information be deleted from the records. Many Dutch physicians have electronic patient records, which will replace paper records presently. Patients may decide to have their medical information selectively transferred to another physician. This may interfere with adequate information of the treating physician. Electronic episode-related patient records may facilitate transfer of information and will have an important role in regulating physician-patient contact according to the Wet Bescherming Persoonsgegevens (Act on the protection of personal data), the Wet op de Geneeskundige Behandelingsovereenkomst (Act on agreement concerning medical treatment), and the Wet op de Beroepen in de Individuele Gezondheidszorg (Individual health care professionals act). Patients' rights to control the transfer of their information must be ensured.