While different countries obligate to achieve optimal healthcare, there is a heightened concern that this cannot be delivered by just enhancing factors such as infrastructure, medical supplies, and healthcare providers. Rather, an improvement in healthcare delivery involves a deliberate effort on quality healthcare services which revolves around the provision of safe and integrated care through the cooperation of both the healthcare provider and the patient, thus ultimately promoting better health outcomes. Transparency in medical records has remained a controversy in many healthcare institutions, while it is the most critical aspect of quality healthcare delivery.
A wide range of past patient information such as allergies, diagnostic findings, laboratory data, prescription data, x-ray records and prescribed medications all form the basis of effective patient care. This is especially helpful in emergencies. For example, a glance at a patient’s record would assist a healthcare provider in learning about a patient’s pre-existing conditions as well as drug allergies without necessarily having to run redundant tests and repetitive medical exams, thus making it easier to attend to a patient with immediate effect. While this transparency promotes patient-doctor trust as well as quality healthcare delivery, there might be concerns about data protection. As a result, there is a possible omission of crucial information since the patient holds the power over their medical records, thus limiting the effectiveness of their medical records. This consequently results in the patient receiving suboptimal care which is against their best interests.
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That being said, all healthcare institutions need to agree on standardized medical record storage and provision during doctors' appointments to ensure seamless care of patients. Thus, the goal of better patient care would be easily realized, all thanks to transparency in patient medical records. Needless to say, aspects such as an emphasis on patient transparency over their medical records need to be put into consideration.
