6 ms·

It absolutely 100% is at least the doctor’s job to know this. If you come back with depression again, the doctor needs to know what medications were used last t

by sxg 8y ago

It absolutely 100% is at least the doctor’s job to know this. If you come back with depression again, the doctor needs to know what medications were used last time to treat you this time. They need to know if you had allergic reactions, no response, or other details regarding your medication history. The doctor may also be able to use a history of depression as a supporting factor for a new diagnosis. Your history of depression may be the thing that tips your doctor toward getting an MRI of the brain to rule out a brain tumor, for example.

katbyte 8y ago
I dissagree. If I have some sensitive medical history and I go in for stitches or some other minor thing with an random doctor I might not want to share all my medical history. It’s my history and I should have the right to control who sees it.
- davidw 8y ago
  I'd rather opt out of a few sensitive things than not have an ER doctor in another state not have easy access to critical information about me.
- ambicapter 8y ago
  You are not a medical professional and the list of medical procedures or remedies that interact poorly with each other is long and full of unexpected things.
  - drb91 8y ago
    Your profession should not dictate your rights to your data.
    - ambicapter 8y ago
      No one is stopping you from accessing your data. The question is to whether you should be able to stop your doctor (or your emergency doctor) from accessing your medical data. Sounds like a bad idea.
      - int_19h 8y ago
        It might well be, but shouldn't it be up to you to decide that? It's your private data.
        freedomben 8y ago
        Agreed. It's your private data and it's also your body! If you end up getting worse treatment due to not sharing data, it's on you. As an adult and the owner of my body, that's my right to decide for myself.
        yomly 8y ago
        Quite surprised to see such strong opinions on this issue - I can obviously sympathise with a desire to privacy but personally hold faith in doctor confidentiality. More pressingly - how can a doctor provide the best care in the absence of records? Imagine trying to ship a bugfix for a complex system where you don't have the source code and the business owner is refusing to give you the documentation but will sue you and ruin your career if you make a mistake. I'd probably refuse to see the patient given how much pressure doctors are under to not make a mistake. What happens if you got a nasty gash and wanted the wound treated and the doctor wanted to issue antibiotics as a precaution but you had a penicillin allergy (which you either forgot to disclose or simply didn't know about but were tested for at some stage in your childhood)
        int_19h 8y ago
        Whether you should or shouldn't share that information with your doctor is a different question, and is the one where trust etc is relevant. The point here is that the choice to share or not share should be the patient's, regardless. If doctors want to turn down patients that wouldn't share something, that's up to them, of course.
        freshhawk 8y ago
        Cool. I don't believe you and luckily I am in a position to prove it. As an expert I require your medical records, so send them to me now. Everyone else: I will reply to my own comment with a followup if it turns out I am wrong and yomly does actually feel this way.
  - fao_ 8y ago
    While this is true, knowledge of other treatments can in a number of cases actually harm the patient as well through malpractice. See: https://journals.tdl.org/jrwg/index.php/jrwg/article/view/97 https://journals.tdl.org/jrwg/index.php/jrwg/article/view/97 https://www.dailydot.com/irl/trans-broken-arm-syndrome-healthcare/ https://www.dailydot.com/irl/trans-broken-arm-syndrome-healt... https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/07/09/feature-the-dangers-of-trans-broken-arm-syndrome/ https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/07/09/feature-the-dangers-of... https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-lgbt-health/british-government-accused-of-mishandling-trans-healthcare-idUSKCN1OX1LY https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-lgbt-health/briti... Sure this is a minority, but it still harms people.
mikecsh 8y ago
I agree with this completely; not being able to understand a patient's medical history often makes it much harder to treat them effectively. Especially in an emergency setting. That said concerns about the sensitivity of information are absolutely valid and should be at the forefront of EMR systems. In my experience (UK) access to records is reasonably well restricted to relevant staff. Access is audited in efforts to identify unauthorised access and this is taken extremely seriously; for example opening records for patients not under your direct care with no valid reason. Further, for particularly sensitive information such as some psychiatric histories, or medical photography of sensitive areas, this is kept behind a secure area within the EMR systems, not generally accessible. Opening it requires signing a declaration that you have either discussed it with the patient and gained consent, or that you do not have consent and you are opening it in the patients best interests in an emergent situation as they are unable to consent (e.g. history of depression with paracetamol (acetaminophen) overdose brought in unconscious by ambulance.
limeblack 8y ago
I have friends disqualified from legitimate jobs after taking Psych drugs from decades ago. Somehow I think there needs to be a line. Doctors have known the way around the system for quite a while.[0] EDIT: left original link tried to clarify. [0]: "I drive 300 miles to seek care and always pay in cash." http://www.idealmedicalcare.org/75-med-students-antidepressants-stimulants/ http://www.idealmedicalcare.org/75-med-students-antidepressa...
- biotech 8y ago
  This is a serious issue: doctors have a huge disincentive to receive psychiatric care in the US. It is also completely off-topic.
- dublin 8y ago
  Anyone who would ever consent to psychiatric care or treatment of any kind (especially pharma) should have their head examined! ;-) Seriously, the risks of seeking such care far outweigh the potential benefits in virtually every circumstance. NEVER forget that your EMR is forever - it will outlive you, and could well become a curse upon all your progeny.
bobowzki 8y ago
As an MD, thank you for this comment.
- Gibbon1 8y ago
  Beware, people with mental illness also suffer from ordinary ailments.
  - bobowzki 8y ago
    Obviously. I'm not a psychiatrist :-)
Gibbon1 8y ago
A huge problem for people with a mental health dx in their history is doctors reflexivity dismiss complaints as a 'mental issue'.
xfitm3 8y ago
I'm ok with my doctor knowing my complete history, but I do not want my insurance company or any third party to have access to these records.

by sxg 8y ago

katbyte 8y ago

I dissagree. If I have some sensitive medical history and I go in for stitches or some other minor thing with an random doctor I might not want to share all my medical history. It’s my history and I should have the right to control who sees it.

davidw 8y ago
I'd rather opt out of a few sensitive things than not have an ER doctor in another state not have easy access to critical information about me.
ambicapter 8y ago
You are not a medical professional and the list of medical procedures or remedies that interact poorly with each other is long and full of unexpected things.
- drb91 8y ago
  Your profession should not dictate your rights to your data.
  - ambicapter 8y ago
    No one is stopping you from accessing your data. The question is to whether you should be able to stop your doctor (or your emergency doctor) from accessing your medical data. Sounds like a bad idea.
    - int_19h 8y ago
      It might well be, but shouldn't it be up to you to decide that? It's your private data.
      - freedomben 8y ago
        Agreed. It's your private data and it's also your body! If you end up getting worse treatment due to not sharing data, it's on you. As an adult and the owner of my body, that's my right to decide for myself.
        yomly 8y ago
        Quite surprised to see such strong opinions on this issue - I can obviously sympathise with a desire to privacy but personally hold faith in doctor confidentiality. More pressingly - how can a doctor provide the best care in the absence of records? Imagine trying to ship a bugfix for a complex system where you don't have the source code and the business owner is refusing to give you the documentation but will sue you and ruin your career if you make a mistake. I'd probably refuse to see the patient given how much pressure doctors are under to not make a mistake. What happens if you got a nasty gash and wanted the wound treated and the doctor wanted to issue antibiotics as a precaution but you had a penicillin allergy (which you either forgot to disclose or simply didn't know about but were tested for at some stage in your childhood)
        int_19h 8y ago
        Whether you should or shouldn't share that information with your doctor is a different question, and is the one where trust etc is relevant. The point here is that the choice to share or not share should be the patient's, regardless. If doctors want to turn down patients that wouldn't share something, that's up to them, of course.
        freshhawk 8y ago
        Cool. I don't believe you and luckily I am in a position to prove it. As an expert I require your medical records, so send them to me now. Everyone else: I will reply to my own comment with a followup if it turns out I am wrong and yomly does actually feel this way.
- fao_ 8y ago
  While this is true, knowledge of other treatments can in a number of cases actually harm the patient as well through malpractice. See: https://journals.tdl.org/jrwg/index.php/jrwg/article/view/97 https://journals.tdl.org/jrwg/index.php/jrwg/article/view/97 https://www.dailydot.com/irl/trans-broken-arm-syndrome-healthcare/ https://www.dailydot.com/irl/trans-broken-arm-syndrome-healt... https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/07/09/feature-the-dangers-of-trans-broken-arm-syndrome/ https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/07/09/feature-the-dangers-of... https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-lgbt-health/british-government-accused-of-mishandling-trans-healthcare-idUSKCN1OX1LY https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-lgbt-health/briti... Sure this is a minority, but it still harms people.

mikecsh 8y ago

I agree with this completely; not being able to understand a patient's medical history often makes it much harder to treat them effectively. Especially in an emergency setting. That said concerns about the sensitivity of information are absolutely valid and should be at the forefront of EMR systems. In my experience (UK) access to records is reasonably well restricted to relevant staff. Access is audited in efforts to identify unauthorised access and this is taken extremely seriously; for example opening records for patients not under your direct care with no valid reason. Further, for particularly sensitive information such as some psychiatric histories, or medical photography of sensitive areas, this is kept behind a secure area within the EMR systems, not generally accessible. Opening it requires signing a declaration that you have either discussed it with the patient and gained consent, or that you do not have consent and you are opening it in the patients best interests in an emergent situation as they are unable to consent (e.g. history of depression with paracetamol (acetaminophen) overdose brought in unconscious by ambulance.

limeblack 8y ago

I have friends disqualified from legitimate jobs after taking Psych drugs from decades ago. Somehow I think there needs to be a line. Doctors have known the way around the system for quite a while.[0] EDIT: left original link tried to clarify. [0]: "I drive 300 miles to seek care and always pay in cash." http://www.idealmedicalcare.org/75-med-students-antidepressants-stimulants/ http://www.idealmedicalcare.org/75-med-students-antidepressa...

biotech 8y ago
This is a serious issue: doctors have a huge disincentive to receive psychiatric care in the US. It is also completely off-topic.
dublin 8y ago
Anyone who would ever consent to psychiatric care or treatment of any kind (especially pharma) should have their head examined! ;-) Seriously, the risks of seeking such care far outweigh the potential benefits in virtually every circumstance. NEVER forget that your EMR is forever - it will outlive you, and could well become a curse upon all your progeny.

bobowzki 8y ago

As an MD, thank you for this comment.

Gibbon1 8y ago
Beware, people with mental illness also suffer from ordinary ailments.
- bobowzki 8y ago
  Obviously. I'm not a psychiatrist :-)

Gibbon1 8y ago

A huge problem for people with a mental health dx in their history is doctors reflexivity dismiss complaints as a 'mental issue'.

xfitm3 8y ago

I'm ok with my doctor knowing my complete history, but I do not want my insurance company or any third party to have access to these records.