My own medical history, am I aloud to look it up?

[Still Riding]

I was wondering, if you work in a hospital that you were once a patient are you aloud to look up your medical records? I'm a student now and I'm in school in a different province than I have ever meen a patient at. But If i get a job at a hospital that I have worked at am I aloud to look up my medical records?

and If not why?

there are a few medical conditions that i have had as a child that my mother can't seem to answer all the questions that i have.

Old X-rays would thye be around too?

Just wondering, Thanx SR

[suzanne4, RN]

On a technicality you cannot access your own records in most facilities unless you go to medical records and sign a release for same.

[ERNurse752, RN]

Where I work you have to go through the medical records department. The reasoning being, even though it's about you, the records are legal documents that do not belong to you.

[BunnyLuv]

I am not familiar with privacy laws in Canada, but I do know a little about how things work in the US. Under HIPAA, an adult patient has the right to view their medical record. Of course, there is paperwork associated to fulfill the request.

Medical records are often purged and/or sent to storage if they remain 'inactive' for a certain period of time. I think it is 5 years. However, medical records for minors are treated differently. They don't get sent to storage/purged until like 5 years after the age of majority no matter if the record has been 'inactive'.

I do not know how old you are or what the laws in Canada are, but I hope this has been of some use.