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Response strategies for chart requests from psychiatric inpatients
Hospital & Community Psychiatry
|October 1, 1982
Summary
Patients requesting psychiatric chart access were younger and had character disorders more often than those who did not. This trend may reflect rising medical consumerism, offering an opportunity for patient education and treatment.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Medical Records
- Patient Rights
Background:
- A psychiatric unit in a general hospital affiliated with a medical school observed patient chart requests.
- Understanding patient engagement with their medical records is crucial in modern healthcare.
Observation:
- During one year, 26 out of 452 patients requested to view their psychiatric charts.
- Patients who requested chart access were generally younger.
- These patients were more frequently diagnosed with character disorders and less frequently with affective disorders.
Findings:
- Patient chart requests may be increasing due to heightened medical consumerism.
- Demographic and diagnostic factors differentiate patients who request chart access.
- Psychiatric chart requests are not necessarily indicators of therapist defensiveness.
Implications:
- Therapists should view chart requests as opportunities for patient education and therapeutic engagement.
- Developing protocols for interpreting and responding to patient record requests is recommended.
- This approach can enhance the therapeutic alliance and patient understanding of their mental health treatment.