Ethics Guidance for Occupational Health Practice 9th Edition - Book - Page 41
3.25. Examples of standards for electronic records: this section relates to systems
where the electronic record is directly created on the system. For the record
generated on paper and then scanned to the system, please see above.
The record should populate the name and date of birth of the worker as the
minimum.
It is strongly recommended that the record should be locked after creation with
no option for alteration. For systems that allow alteration of the records, there
must be a clear governance process involving at least 2 senior people, one of
which should be the data controller and a clinician.
3.26. Documents that are scanned into the system should be monitored for quality
to ensure they are legible, and the entire document is scanned in.
Security of Records
3.27. The requirements for the storage and processing of paper records are generally
well understood by occupational health professionals and policies and
procedures have been developed by most organisations. However, the integration
of
information
technology
into
work
and
personal
environments necessitates greater consideration of the ethical issues that may
arise. The ethical and legal principles remain unchanged, but the context and
the way they are applied may differ.
Paper records
3.28. For paper records, areas to be considered should include:
Storing records in locked (preferably fire-resistant) filing cabinets with a secure
key system.
Not leaving records on desks or on photocopiers unattended.
Transporting records in a secure notes carrier if removal is required (e.g. to
external clients).
Locking records in a car boot, if they have to be left briefly, and not keeping
them in a car overnight.
Putting a note tracking system in place.
Devising a process for informing the subject if records are lost.
Page | 40
