Hess R J
Health Matrix. 1984 Fall;2(3):3-21.
Traditionally, mental patients have been denied access to their own mental health records, even though third parties such as insurance companies, prospective employers, and government agencies have access to the records and use them in deciding whether to grant benefits or employment to the patients. Adoption of the American Psychiatric Association's Model Law on Confidentiality of Health and Social Services Records would end this anomaly by allowing patients to examine their own records. This article examines the problems that arise from the inaccessibility to patients of their records and the present inability of the law to remedy these problems. It then summarizes the major access provisions of the Model Law, suggests ways it can be improved to further protect patient interests, and sets forth the probable clinical benefits that will result from access.
传统上，精神疾病患者一直被剥夺查阅自己心理健康记录的权利，尽管诸如保险公司、潜在雇主和政府机构等第三方可以查阅这些记录，并在决定是否给予患者福利或就业机会时使用这些记录。采用美国精神病学协会的《健康与社会服务记录保密示范法》将允许患者查阅自己的记录，从而终结这种反常现象。本文探讨了患者无法查阅自己记录所产生的问题，以及现行法律目前无法解决这些问题的情况。然后，文章总结了示范法的主要查阅条款，提出了可以如何改进以进一步保护患者利益的方法，并阐述了查阅记录可能带来的临床益处。
