Keeping your xrays?

Yv

Hi,

I've wondered about this for a while: do you have the right to keep your own xrays? I had pneumonia as a small child and had my chest xrayed, I'd really like to get my hands on the xray for a college project (I'm studying Fine Art) so that I can make some photographic work based on it. I wouldn't be cutting it up or anything, just making copies of it in the darkroom, etc. Can I do so, and, more importantly, can I do so for free?

My other question, if I can lay claim to the xray(s), is where should I go looking? I lived in Galway as a kid & was treated for the pneumonia in the University College Hospital, but my family moved in the meantime & we've been through a couple of GPs. Would it be amongst my medical records, with my current GP?

kelle

Only the Blackrock Clinic allows you to keep your own x-rays,- I was told that many years ago it might have changed.
X-rays are only kept for 7 years or when the patient has turned 25, and then disposed of. If the x-rays are still around, you can get copies done if you have a letter from your GP or referring doctor requesting copies. A fee is payable.
Check with the x-ray department in question, this rule could vary from dept to dept. And to check if your films still exist.

drzhivago

Yv wrote: »

Hi,
I've wondered about this for a while: do you have the right to keep your own xrays? I had pneumonia as a small child and had my chest xrayed, I'd really like to get my hands on the xray for a college project (I'm studying Fine Art) so that I can make some photographic work based on it. I wouldn't be cutting it up or anything, just making copies of it in the darkroom, etc. Can I do so, and, more importantly, can I do so for free?
My other question, if I can lay claim to the xray(s), is where should I go looking? I lived in Galway as a kid & was treated for the pneumonia in the University College Hospital, but my family moved in the meantime & we've been through a couple of GPs. Would it be amongst my medical records, with my current GP?

Private hospitals you are paying for xrays so they often give them to you, cds are very cheap nowadays so this is often on disk,

In public hospital you have to get a letter from GOP for copy and then pay fee €20 I thnk


why do you want them, do they have to be film, thick plastic or juts the images, plent of places you can dowload images from teh web

www.trauma.org

XRAYS never go to GPs just the report of the xrays otherwise gp surgery would be filled with boxes of xrays and no room for anything else, your xray will be in UCHG if anywhere at all

Stephen REA37G

If you had it in Galway as a child, chances are the x-ray is no longer around as they are only kept for a certain number of years.

Nowadays, most Radiology Departments (incl UCHG which you are talking about) are digital therefore the X-Ray images are kept on a computer and looked at on a high resolution moniter.
The films are only printed off if you are being transferred to another hospital without PACS or if there are problems with the system.