patients pay for care, not for records. If you employ a photographer for a wedding, they often insist on keeping the copyright of the photos. You have the right

patients pay for care, not for records. If you employ a photographer for a wedding, they often insist on keeping the copyright of the photos. You have the right to use them personally, but the photographer retains the copyright. And to avoid repeated tests, it means that this information must be shared between different healthcare organisations. There is an argument against. Ownership implies the ability to do with the data as you wish, including removing certain parts or withholding others. This could lead to issues where a patients wants a test which is not indicated, and by providing edited records, clinicians may be misled. Similarly, would it be acceptable to delete information referring to a current HUV/Hep C or TB infection? And what about psychiatric patients? Sometimes patients lack insight into their condition, particular in psychosis and delusions. This can persist after acute episodes, where they deny they were unwell during the episode. These patients could then remove anything referring to this section, making future care much more difficult. Finally, medical records also refer to cases where there are legal issues. They may refer to suspicions of child abuse, or the expressed intent of a patient to go kill another. This information should not be blocked by difficulties with patients owning the data.