Law relating to medical records
MEDICAL COUNCIL OF INDIA GUIDELINES ON MEDICAL RECORDS
The issue of medical record keeping has been addressed in the Medical Council of India Regulations 2002 guidelines answering many questions regarding medical records. The important issues that have been addressed are as follows:
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Maintain indoor records in a standard proforma for 3 years from commencement of treatment (Section 1.3.1 and Appendix 3).
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Request for medical records by patient or authorized attendant should be acknowledged and documents issued within 72 hours (Section 1.3.2).
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Maintain a register of certificates with the full details of medical certificatesissued with at least one identification mark of the patient and his signature (Section 1.3.3).
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Efforts should be made to computerize medical records for quick retrieval (Section 1.3.4).
