Medical records

Dingle_berry

I asked this question in the AH thread but didn't see it answered.

With Mount Carmel closing I was wondering what will happen to the medical records? Do they become the responsibility of the consultants? The patients? Does mount Carmel have a big bonfire? Does NAMA get to chose what to do with them?

Also how will the other hospitals in the group be affected?

I really feel sorry for the staff. Hopefully the other private hospitals will pick up the work quickly and need extra staff.

RobFowl

The active records will transfer to the hospital the patient is transferred to.
The archived records I have to saw i don know. I suspect those over 8 years (I think thats the limit but thats just from memory) will be destroyed.

gctest50

RobFowl wrote: »

............ I suspect those over 8 years (I think thats the limit but thats just from memory) will be destroyed.

That's a pity, they should be A. Nonny Mouse 'd digitised and stored - you'd never know what way the data could be useful




http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v31/n12/full/nbt.2749.html

Dingle_berry

Has anything like this happened before in Ireland? I know hospitals have relocated or amalgamated but completely closing?

8 years for things like clinical histories and recovery notes may be ok but what about their transfusion records and pathology material? Eg a patient treated for colon cancer in MC last year and has recurrence in 3 years. New treatment available or just a review is desired. The original diagnostic material that should have been kept for 30 years is....?

gctest50

Dingle_berry wrote: »

....... The original diagnostic material that should have been kept for 30 years is....?

put in the bin

http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=19597

http://www.thejournal.ie/patient-records-from-ballina-hospital-found-in-bin-205639-Aug2011/

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/medical-records-found-dumped-in-derry-womans-garden-29222637.html

L1011

gctest50 wrote: »

That's a pity, they should be A. Nonny Mouse 'd digitised and stored - you'd never know what way the data could be useful

There isn't a huge amount of worthwhile information for future data-mining - Mount Carmel's main income stream was maternity with comparatively limited diagnostic and surgical facilities. It is nowhere near the same as the records of a large general hospital going away.

Dingle_berry

gctest50 wrote: »

put in the bin

http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=19597

http://www.thejournal.ie/patient-records-from-ballina-hospital-found-in-bin-205639-Aug2011/

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/medical-records-found-dumped-in-derry-womans-garden-29222637.html

That's charts etc, what about slides & blocks, transfusion records etc?

drzhivago

Dingle_berry wrote: »

Has anything like this happened before in Ireland? I know hospitals have relocated or amalgamated but completely closing?

8 years for things like clinical histories and recovery notes may be ok but what about their transfusion records and pathology material? Eg a patient treated for colon cancer in MC last year and has recurrence in 3 years. New treatment available or just a review is desired. The original diagnostic material that should have been kept for 30 years is....?

records won't automatically go anywhere, he who owns the paper owns the record which is now NAMA - presume the State Claims Agency and HSE will get involved here regarding potential future actions as there seems to be an issue with one of the obstetricians...in my experience pregnant patients hold their own record so they will just bring them wherever they go to deliver

The interesting thing will be the tissue samples, blocks, transfusion records

I am more interested in the XRAYS, what will happen to the filing rooms of XRAYS, I have a very selfish reason fro asking

Dingle_berry

drzhivago wrote: »

The interesting thing will be the tissue samples, blocks, transfusion records

I am more interested in the XRAYS, what will happen to the filing rooms of XRAYS, I have a very selfish reason fro asking

Spoke to some people involved. No one has a clue what is going to happen to patient material. No doubt it will eventually be resolved but it will take time. Not good considering that when you transfer your care the first thing your new team will do is look for this material to confirm diagnosis and possibly perform further testing.

Are all MC radiology... material? Films? Digital? Could you get a copy of them?

If I had a chart or anything there I would be getting full copies of everything possible