Delivering quality healthcare rests upon how well an institution keeps its records. When a patient changes doctors, it is up to the hospital to provide the new healthcare provider what they need to see the treatment through.
Transferring between hospitals also affects treatment. If one facility has incomplete records, they may have to rely on the patient or their loved ones recalling their medical history, or on making their own clinical judgments. If you are looking to improve your patient record protection system, then there are a few things you can do to begin.
Needs and risk analysis
The first thing healthcare administrators must do is make a thorough account of existing systems for filing data. Hospitals that completely rely on paper-based storage are highly inefficient. They must deal with issues in human error, retrieval, and the deterioration of physical files. A needs assessment will account for which areas or departments have good record-keeping practices, which ones need updating, and which system to adopt hospital-wide.
Take note as well of the equipment you may need when updating your records. Some departments will just need shelves and filing cabinets. However, places that receive a large volume of patients may need bespoke cabinets or roller storage modules.
Create procedures for filing
The facility managers must determine their protocol for creating a patient’s electronic data. This includes the safeguarding and creating backups of physical records. Your paper records must be kept in a room at 18 to 20 degrees Celsius. This is to protect the paper from humidity and prevent deterioration.
There should also be a retention period for physical files. Decide how long an institution should keep records before disposing. Your filing system should be applied throughout the institution, to make for efficient record transfers between departments.
Prioritise data security
Even for physical copies, the facility should have security measures in place. File rooms should have key cards or electronic locks, to prevent unauthorised access. Installing CCTVs in these rooms is also a good deterrent. If there is no budget to install a security system, you should have these areas supervised at all times, but especially during work hours.
The hospital should look into hiring a risk manager for its information system. In the event of large-scale emergencies or natural disasters, the facility should have a set of protocols in place to secure patient and research information. The risk manager should have a plan for creating backups for data. They must also have a way of recovering data during or after a crisis.
If it’s possible, there must be audit trails of data taken out of records stations. An audit trail should provide a way to record who accesses which confidential information. It should also note what time they did, if they made copies of the data and also how many copies were made. If possible, there should be alerts that can flag suspicious activity.
Conclusion
Hospital records are an important part of delivering treatments. Patients’ recovery relies on accurate and timely notes. This is why file rooms and records stations must be kept as organised and secure as humanly possible.
If you are looking for a supplier of hospital records storage in the UK, please contact us. We have healthcare storage solutions for all aspects of ward and departmental stock management. Browse our products or get in touch with us to learn more.