Your child's medical record
From the 22 November 2023, Perth Children's Hospital will be implementing the Digital Medical Record (DMR), as part of Phase 1 of the state's Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Program.
From that date your child's paper medical record will be closed and provided to clinicians for historical reference only.
All new information will be added into your child's DMR in three ways:
- other clinical applications publish documents to the DMR
- paper forms can be scanned into the DMR
- eForms entered by clinical staff directly into the DMR
Patient confidentiality
Information collected by Perth Children’s Hospital
Perth Children’s Hospital records details of the treatment and care provided to your child at the Hospital in your child’s medical record which are paper based and electronic systems.
When your child becomes a patient of the Perth Children's Hospital a medical record is created. This includes information such as your child's name, address and contact details, next of kin details, as well as information about your child’s health problems, and the treatment your child received. These include clinical notes, administration documents, laboratory and radiology results, care plans, nursing observations, outpatient letters, operation reports and discharge summaries.
Every time you or your child attends or has contact with Perth Children’s Hospital, new information is added to your child’s patient record.
How we use and protect patient information
Your child’s personal information is regarded as strictly confidential.
Maintaining the confidentiality of your child’s personal information is important to us. Your child’s medical history, treatment and any information provided to the Perth Children’s Hospital is treated with the utmost confidentiality. This means that we will only disclose your child’s personal information with consent, or as authorised or required by law.
The Perth Children’s Hospital has a commitment that all information concerning your child’s management or administration matters will be regarded as confidential by staff and students.
We have taken measures to ensure that paper records and information stored electronically on our computer systems are stored securely. Only authorised personnel have access to your child’s personal information.
Disclosing personal information to other service providers
Perth Children’s Hospital may disclose your child’s information to other service providers including your General Practitioner (GP) and other health care and community support providers if this is necessary for your further treatment (for example, a discharge summary is usually sent to your GP). If you do not wish for this information to be provided to your GP or other health care providers, please let us know.
Disclosing personal information without consent
There may be occasions where Perth Children’s Hospital is required or authorised by law to disclose patient information without you or your child’s consent.
Examples of this include:
- A subpoena requiring the production of a patient's medical record to a court for legal proceedings.
- Reporting to appropriate Government Authorities (such as registration of births, deaths, diseases and treatments).
- Reporting of information about care provided as required by the Department of Health.
These disclosures are only made as authorised or required by law.
Who might contact you after your child’s treatment?
There may be circumstances where a Perth Children’s Hospital staff member contacts you after your child has completed their treatment with us, for example, a member of your child’s Perth Children’s Hospital health care team may contact you to follow up on your child’s condition or treatment.
Accessing the information we hold about your child
You can ask to see the information we hold about your child. You may request to view, photocopy or to request that any information be changed, by contacting our Release of Information department.
Find out more here about Release of Information (also known as Freedom of Information).
Updating or making changes to a medical record
If you need to update your child's name, address or contact details, you can find the necessary forms and information on Update patient details.