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Access to records and client held records for people with mental illness

A literature review

Joint Academic Department of Psychological Medicine, The London Hospital Medical College, 3rd Floor Alexandra Wing, Turner Street, London E1 2AD

Anna Stafford, Information and Development Worker

Tower Hamlets Health Care Trust

^* Correspondence

Increasing involvement of users in health service planning has led to a movement towards patients having more information about their care. Some have advocated patients having access to their medical records and this is now a statutory right. There has been concern as to whether this is suitable in mental health. An addition or alternative to access to medical notes is a client held record which might increase the patient's feeling of autonomy while also improving communication and compliance. In studies on access most patients and staff have found this beneficial. Client held records have also been positively received in the few studies reported but more evaluation in routine practice is needed.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. Laugharne and C. Henderson Medical records: Patient-held records in mental health Psychiatr. Bull., February 1, 2004; 28(2): 51 - 52. [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Stafford, R. Laugharne, and K. Gannon A follow-up study of the use of a patient-held record in mental health Psychiatr. Bull., March 1, 2002; 26(3): 91 - 92. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]