Needs of the living should come first
http://www.100md.com
《英国医生杂志》
1 Ticehurst, East Sussex TN5 7LJ rosy@gothere.uk.com
If there were any information in my family's medical history that would allow me to find out whether I was likely to get cancer and how I could minimise the risk, I would certainly want to know about it. Clinical red tape about consent and next of kin when a patient is dead seems completely unreasonable when it holds back information that could protect the living.
Certainly you can't have a medical records free for all, and there are issues about confidentiality and respect. Some people have secrets that they want to take to the grave with them, and perhaps AIDS might be an example here. However, selfishly, I am younger and could live for many years if I could get hold of the records. The information might help not only my survival but also the chances of my children or other members of my family.
I appreciate that it must be difficult for hospital staff when recent public inquiries have put the spotlight on using patient information without explicit consent. It is much simpler and less work to refuse a request for information if the guidelines are unclear. If the term next of kin can't be defined accurately, it is difficult to make a decision. If the possible next of kin cannot be found, this makes matters even worse.
The suggestion that hospital departments should be able to breach confidentiality under certain conditions seems sensible. I would like to feel that when my doctors asked for the records of a dead relative whose next of kin was not known, someone at the hospital would be able to take a balanced view and release them because they could help predict disease in family members. Of course, if the relative had expressed her objections before she died, then my case might fall down.(Suzanne Rawdon, journalis)
If there were any information in my family's medical history that would allow me to find out whether I was likely to get cancer and how I could minimise the risk, I would certainly want to know about it. Clinical red tape about consent and next of kin when a patient is dead seems completely unreasonable when it holds back information that could protect the living.
Certainly you can't have a medical records free for all, and there are issues about confidentiality and respect. Some people have secrets that they want to take to the grave with them, and perhaps AIDS might be an example here. However, selfishly, I am younger and could live for many years if I could get hold of the records. The information might help not only my survival but also the chances of my children or other members of my family.
I appreciate that it must be difficult for hospital staff when recent public inquiries have put the spotlight on using patient information without explicit consent. It is much simpler and less work to refuse a request for information if the guidelines are unclear. If the term next of kin can't be defined accurately, it is difficult to make a decision. If the possible next of kin cannot be found, this makes matters even worse.
The suggestion that hospital departments should be able to breach confidentiality under certain conditions seems sensible. I would like to feel that when my doctors asked for the records of a dead relative whose next of kin was not known, someone at the hospital would be able to take a balanced view and release them because they could help predict disease in family members. Of course, if the relative had expressed her objections before she died, then my case might fall down.(Suzanne Rawdon, journalis)