patientaccess

Patient Information

Patient Rights	Patient Access to Records
Lodging Complaints	Spectacle Prescriptions
Ethics and Informed Consent	Contact Lens Prescriptions


Patient access to records Patient clinical records are created by the practitioner as an aide-mémoire to assist in treating the patient, and as such remain the property of the practitioner. An optometrist should enable a patient to view their record if so requested, and to be provided with explanations about the record or a summary of treatment, but the patient does not have a right to take possession of the record, and an optometrist is under no legal obligation to provide to the patients access to their records; it remains a matter of discretion whether records are provided in full. However, legislation in some states allows a patient access to their record if treated in a private hospital, day procedure centre or nursing home, with certain restrictions related to information possibly prejudicial to the patient's physical or mental health. Results of special investigations, such as pathology, X-rays, fundus photos etc, used to assist the practitioner in forming a diagnosis, management plan or prognosis, would not normally constitute an aide-mémoire and would therefore be accessible to the patient on request. Releasing prescriptions is a special case. Under Medicare regulations, as well as common law, patients have a right to receive a written copy of their prescription. Some optometrists simply issue every patient with their spectacle prescription at the end of the consultation if a prescription has been generated, while others supply it on request. Contact lens prescriptions should not be issued until the optometrist is satisfied that no further modifications will be necessary. It is often impossible to write a definitive prescription for contact lenses after the initial fitting consultation, as the performance of the lenses must be assessed on the eye. Lenses may need to be exchanged and modified, and it may take some time to arrive at the final prescription. Information should be used or disclosed only for the purpose for which it was collected. Your optometrist has an ethical obligation to use your personal information only to assist you. Your optometrist cannot release your information without your permission except when he or she is legally required to do so.

Patient access to records

Patient clinical records are created by the practitioner as an aide-mémoire to assist in treating the patient, and as such remain the property of the practitioner. An optometrist should enable a patient to view their record if so requested, and to be provided with explanations about the record or a summary of treatment, but the patient does not have a right to take possession of the record, and an optometrist is under no legal obligation to provide to the patients access to their records; it remains a matter of discretion whether records are provided in full. However, legislation in some states allows a patient access to their record if treated in a private hospital, day procedure centre or nursing home, with certain restrictions related to information possibly prejudicial to the patient's physical or mental health.

Results of special investigations, such as pathology, X-rays, fundus photos etc, used to assist the practitioner in forming a diagnosis, management plan or prognosis, would not normally constitute an aide-mémoire and would therefore be accessible to the patient on request.

Releasing prescriptions is a special case. Under Medicare regulations, as well as common law, patients have a right to receive a written copy of their prescription. Some optometrists simply issue every patient with their spectacle prescription at the end of the consultation if a prescription has been generated, while others supply it on request.

Contact lens prescriptions should not be issued until the optometrist is satisfied that no further modifications will be necessary. It is often impossible to write a definitive prescription for contact lenses after the initial fitting consultation, as the performance of the lenses must be assessed on the eye. Lenses may need to be exchanged and modified, and it may take some time to arrive at the final prescription.

Information should be used or disclosed only for the purpose for which it was collected. Your optometrist has an ethical obligation to use your personal information only to assist you. Your optometrist cannot release your information without your permission except when he or she is legally required to do so.