Your medical records

All the care you receive is documented in your medical records.

Confidentiality

Nobody who does not have a care relationship with you may read the information contained in your medical records. Neither will we share any information with your other care providers without your consent. The same applies to the disclosure of information to your close family or friends if you have legal majority.

Special rules apply to the provision of information to those below the age of 18 who are a close relative/friend of a patient.

Collated medical records

In order to provide you with the best possible care, we within the counties of Stockholm and Gotland use collated medical records. This means that we and many other care providers (for example, hospitals) can access all of your medical records. We do this to ensure that you receive the correct treatment.

You must, however, always give your consent if we are to be able to share the information in your medical records with other care providers.

The purpose of collated medical records is to ensure that we gain a comprehensive picture of your care requirements, and we can be sure that your information has been kept up to date. This means that you will not have to recount your medical history every time you visit a new care provider.

Your details are protected by the Patient Data Act.

You can say no

You have the right to say no to the collation of medical records. If you wish to do this, you must inform the care personnel that you meet. They will help you to complete the form that is necessary in order to block your medical records, and they will also be able to inform you of what this means.

Other care providers will then be blocked from having access to the information in your medical records. If you have had your medical records blocked, you will have to provide all the information that other care providers need to know in order to provide you with the correct care.

Parents/guardians do not have the right to block their child’s medical records. In line with their increasing age and level of maturity, however, children below the age of 18 years may be entitled to block their own medical records.

You have the right to see who has read your medical records

As a patient, you are entitled to receive a list of the people that have accessed your medical records. Contact the medical centre/care provider where you received treatment and ask for a ‘loggutdrag’. In the ‘loggutdrag’, you will be able to see a list of when, and from which unit/facility, a person has opened your records.

The list is designed so that you can easily see which care facility has accessed your records, and when this happened.

The Patient Data Act

The rules for the processing of personal data in the healthcare sector are stated in the Patient Data Act.

Among other things, this law regulates:

  • the opportunities for healthcare personnel who participate in the care of a certain patient to have access to the medical records necessary for the provision of care, even if they were written by another healthcare organisation
  • the rules for which individuals may access patient data in the course of their work within the healthcare system
  • the patient’s right to block information in their medical records in an electronic records system

Would you like to know more?

The purpose of your medical records is to document the care you receive. In turn, this documentation shall contribute to the provision of good, safe care. A patient’s medical records are an important resource for healthcare personnel, but they also provide the patient with the opportunity to check that they are receiving the correct care. You are always welcome to ask the personnel at your local healthcare centre if you have any questions about your medical records.

You can also find more information about collated record-keeping and your medical records on the 1177 Vårdguiden website concerning your rights in the healthcare system.