Q for those who have obtained medical records after previous birth

[Tobily]

This might be in the wrong spot if so please move

I'm in the process of requesting my medical records relating to my last birth. The hospital want to know why I want them and I'm a bit stuck as to what to say

I want to write "none of your damn business" but don't think that will cut it

I'd rather not go into major detail with them about it, if I just put "personal reasons" will that be enough, or will they then want to know more? I just want to get them with a minimum of drama, I don't want to have to explain anything to them I've already arranged for an independent midwife to go through them with me so I don't need their "assistance" with that...can anyone else tell me what reasons they gave?

Tks.

[SamanthaP]

It doesn't matter why you need them. They can't keep them from you. I would write 'personal reasons', or 'to deal with my birth trauma' or something like that. At the end of the day, under FOI they can't not give them to you, so write what ever you want. They probably just want to know if they need to notify their legal team. That's what it said on my request form.

[nic]

Wow Flea, When I requested mine about 5-6 months ago they never asked me that question, maybe it was on the form and i didn't see it?
Personal reasons sounds good though.

Nic

[DoulaRelle]

Flea, I got mine and I just said it was because I was studying to become a Doula/trying to get into midwifery and I had no problem with it!

Goodluck, I am soooo glad I got mine, they answered alot of questions and have put all of the trauma from my first birth to rest.

[Antheia]

Can you do this? Would i be able to get mine from DD's birth 3 years ago do you think? How would i go about doing it?

Sorry to hijack...

[DoulaRelle]

Tegan, we are all able to access our records, it is our right, the problem is that some hospitals do make it more difficult than it should be to get your notes.

I was really lucky and had no problems whatsoever, it was a private hospital and I had already used teh OB and hospital again, so got records from both my births. I would love to get records from Angus' birth if I thought there was any point, but it is not liek I was there long enough for them to have taken any notes.

I found getting my notes very helpful in closure on a difficult birth, more from the point of view that all of the things I "thought" happened and actually even more so than I remember as I did not have a DOula or a 3rd person there, and I "needed" information and questions answered that he could not answer.

Tegan all you need to do is ring the hospital and ask for the records area and then they usually send out a form for you to complete outlining the actually records you are after and you usually have to pay for photocopying and postage etc ( mine was $32 for 2 births)

Goodluck girls!

[Tobily]

Thanks everyone, will finish filling in my form and send it off tomorrow.

Relle, that's exactly why I need to get mine - there are too many things that I don't remember and too many unanswered questions so I hope that this will help me fill in the blanks and have those questions answered. DH has told me things that I remember very differently so I don't trust what he says about the things I can't remember at all. Hopefully this will help me to move forward.

[Yael]

What kind of information do they have in your notes?

[Alan]

Flea
Under the fredom of information act 1982 you have ever right to access your records and you don't really ned to gove a reason.

[Cyathea]

It really gets my goat when they expect you to explain your reasons!!

My answer was because they are mine, and about me, and under the freedom of information act, you are required to give them to me!

I hate their stupid power trips.

I really wish EVERY woman would request her labour and birth notes, it would send the message that we are not to be pushed around, we are seeking to find the truth in what happens, and perhaps with that level of scrutiny they may buck their ideas up a little. Ease off on the unnecessary interventions a tad...I can dream as much as I like I guess.

[Laranna]

My ob currently makes copies of the notes at our appointments, keeps the copy for herself and gives me the originals back. She adds to the notes at each appointment so I have to bring the originals which she adds to and she just keeps copies. I really like this idea so hopefully I will get notes after the birth as well.

After I had my endo surgery I ask the gynae for my notes and gave the reason "for my own personal records". They copied them and posted them out to me.

[nic]

Yael, my notes are from my first hospital visit, so include previous family history, blood pressure, protein etc..
Also notes from when I had been sent to the hospital 2 weeks before DD's due date and what was going on then, right up to when I was admitted at my 40 week check up, including details of when the nurses checked on me and what was going on, right through to being in labour and then my emergency c/s, even what type of incision they made, how I was in recovery, right up to going home when they didn't want me too.

Nic

[AnyDream]

Flea, just use the words "under freedom of information" and they are legally required to give them to you (without asking why). Good luck, I hope you get the answers you are looking for.

Antheia, all you need to do is write to the hospital requesting a copy of your (and baby's if you want) records under Freedom of Information. Provide your date of birth, and address so they can identify you as a patient. Basically they just photocopy everything and send it out to you. It can take a couple of weeks and they sometimes charge an admin fee (shouldn't be too much more than $20 or $30). I hope that helps.

[Yael]

Are the notes about your labour in short hand or long hand??

Like is it just going to say what time i was so many cm, or will it actually say what happened during labour?

[AnyDream]

Yael, for my labour there was a document which recorded all the measurements they took throughout (contraction strength & frequency, baby's heatbeat, etc) as well as dilation, nurse's observation (short "longhand" notes) and drugs, etc administered. It was all recorded on a sort of timeline document. Although I will say there were pieces of info that I considered possibly important that were not recorded or possibly inaccurately recorded (eg I was told afterwards "we were worried about you as you were a bit of "bleeder" but my notes reported "normal blood loss") - so you've got to wonder about the practices in that particular hospital. Hopefully though the documents will be accurate enough to give you the information you are looking for.