Medical records to be kept for 15 years

30/1/97

Patients' medical records are to be kept for 15 years - more than double the current retention period of seven years - under new record management guidelines drawn up by the Western Australian Health Department.

Health Minister Kevin Prince said the new Patient Information Retention and Disposal Schedule provided, for the first time, a uniform standard for managing medical records at all public health facilities.

"This schedule is the result of 18 months of intensive research and development by a working party made up of representatives from hospitals, the Public Records Office and the Health Department," Mr Prince said.

"In that time, there has been extensive consultation with interested groups including archivists, researchers, practising clinicians and historians.

"Some patient records will now be kept for 15 years, instead of the current seven, reflecting the growing community interest in accessing individuals' past medical history made possible under the Freedom of Information legislation.

"Much of the content has been drawn from similar schedules operating in Victoria and Tasmania and it is hoped this could form the basis for future national standards."

The Minister congratulated representatives from the hospitals, Public Records Office and the Health Department for their hard work and commitment to the project.

Mr Prince said the schedule - which met requirements of the Library Board Act - would streamline procedures dealing with maintaining, archiving and destroying records and serve as a valuable reference tool for those managing individual record systems.

He said that while the private health sector was not governed by the schedule, a number of private hospitals had requested copies of the document to develop their own uniform standards.

The structure, content and effectiveness of the schedule would be reviewed after 12 months.

Media contact: Kirsten Stoney 221 1377 or Tim Nelson 222 4341