Seanad debates
Monday, 24 November 2003
Personal Injuries Assessment Board Bill 2003: Committee Stage.
I understand in the United Kingdom it is considered a good idea by the Medical Protection Society and the Medical Defence Union, including other medical protection bodies, to hand the report to the plaintiff and give him or her 21 days to look at it before handing it in. While consent is implied when people ask for reports, it is considered better practice to get informed consent. I do not know if the Minister had time to read the report, Managing and Protecting the Privacy of Personal Health Information in Irish General Practice, which has been prepared by the Irish College of General Practitioners and the National General Practice Information Technology Group, dealing with the giving out of information. With so much medical information being computerised nowadays, it is far easier to access information. They do not have to read our writing, therefore, it is much easier to get a great deal of information. Sometimes patients do not fully understand when they sign waivers or say they have given one the amount of information that may be accessed. The report states as follows:
No comments