Mothers alcohol use shown on medical records

[quote hopefulhalf]www.wellbeingsoftware.com/solutions/product/euroking-connect/[/quote]
Thanks for the link.

This is their website tagline

By creating an integrated view of all records related to a mother and baby, Euroking Connect helps digitise information, enhance clinical workflows and improve care received during pregnancy and after birth.

I can see why that would be clinically useful. I suppose the question is whether they've thought about future request for records from the child (as an adult) and whether they can un-integrate those records so a woman's privacy is maintained?

Are these records all available via the GP?

Of course HCPs need full history etc when treating someone. That's all fine. And it's the patient's history.

Of course something that happened at birth would be on the child's notes eg disability as a result of something going wrong with the delivery.

What I don't understand still is whether if for a child born after 2000, from age 16, they can go into their GP and look at their notes, and the first part will be information about the mother. Which may be relevant to the mother, but is not relevant to the child. EG how many pregnancies and when. Why interventions with SS etc. Anything else? Is it the whole of the mothers maternity notes? In which case things like smoking, alcohol, drugs, mental health, DV, other risk factors could well be in there.

I would really appreciate some clarity/ pointers around this as I'm gobsmacked.

This will just deter the women in most need of help and support from seeking this. Women’s right to autonomy and confidentiality must be respected.

I was a woman who had drunk heavily before I discovered my surprise pregnancy, I was terrified I had harmed my child but having that on her medical records would have done her no benefit and possibly harmed us both due to the stigma.

Thanks so much for clarifying, it has been quite the day today. Have been on mediation call all day so messing about on here is keeping me from getting bent out of shape - perhaps not the best outlet for today considering I only frequent FWR!

Well the penny took a long time to drop with me - I popped into the doctors wondering if I might be pregnant, for them to put me at 15 weeks plus. I’d been cracking on as normal until then - not a heavy drinker, but happy to have a glass or two of wine On the odd occasion, or to have a jolly good night out from time to time. dd at nearly 18 seems to be none the worse. The question was t asked of me but if I’d been a regular, heavy drinker why on earth would I have put this on record?

@Hardbackwriter please don’t confuse instinct with judgement. Some HCPs are judgemental but some have developed an insight and instinct into their patients circumstances. Sometimes all you have is a gut feeling and it turns out true. I can hand on heart swear I’ve never been wrong about that feeling in my career

@pollylocketpickedapocket thank you for understanding! It’s hard to explain “instinct” and it’s value. Never to be confused with judgement though.

@NiceGerbil actually 16. You’re an adult at 16 and can access your notes then in my country.

Red books are held by parents but the information in them is also held electronically/on paper too. As far as I’m aware it’s pretty standard at antenatal “booking” appointments to record number of pregnancies and number of siblings. I don’t know wether that information is “cross checked” with gp/hospital notes though.

Pre natal issues are generally only considered relevant if there are issues like complex health conditions, mental health issues etc later on. Every assessment I’ve ever read of a patient who’s accessed support for MH or complex needs includes a rundown on pre natal circumstances, labour and delivery. And these assessments form part of the patients record and can include descriptions of phone calls between professionals they aren’t always written by the exact people.

Common sense and instinct??

Or, in other words, profiling women that you think are 'the sort' to binge drink in pregnancy.

www.wellbeingsoftware.com/solutions/product/euroking-connect/

I can't find anything via Google using numerous different search terms. I'm not saying that because I disbelieve the previous posters but it's not made clear in any information about accessing records.

Gerbil the best I can tell you is maybe. That information is certainly availible to the HCPs treating the child in many trusts. If your children are under 16 you can request their records and find out what is in them in your area.

Does the child not have a right to an accurate record of their health from the day they were created

Well if we are going down this road, let's add the father into the information shared. He plays a part, we obviously need to know how much he drank, what drugs he did and when and how tight his undies were.
Because then it wont happen. We also need to add how many previous children he created whatever the outcome. If it's good for the woman its twice as good for the man.

This is a terrible idea, I also did not know about this info already being on a child's records. I'm horrified for the implications and potential,fallout.

I can find nothing on Google about this so far.

So bottom line is

Can it be confirmed that previous pregnancies are recorded in the child's notes that they can read at 18.

I honestly can't believe that and if it's true it's been kept very very quiet.

This is an absolute fundamental beach of women's basic right to privacy over what is just about the most sensitive information that exists about her in medical hands.

In our area all health visitor notes are electronic and are considered to comprise part of the child's medical record.

'I can only speak for my area but yes if there were concerns or interventions pre birth then they are included in patients record'

The patient here being the child? So if there was a referral to SS for example that would be on the child's medical record for them to read at 18? How long do these things get recorded- if a mother seeks advice for drugs when child is 3, say, at GP. Would that info be added into the child's record?

'Usually in HV notes there are records relating to number of pregnancies and number of siblings'

Are HV notes copied into the child's medical record that they can access later?

'Some of these documents would be held in the “red book” in my area'.
Is red book still the one the parents look after? If so they don't have to give it to child. Are all red book entries copied into child's computerised medical record now? If not then the info is still in the hands of the parents.

Name changed for this. My mum has another, older child conceived through rape. She told me in adulthood.

I had and have absolutely no right to this information and fell strongly that her rights would be compromised if I could access that information.

I should have asked for a correction on my discharge summary when I had DS2. I told the midwife I’d had no more than 10 units in the whole pregnancy. On my discharge summary it said 10 units per week. 🙄

I have to say I have no idea if an adult requested to see/have their medical records if this information would be redacted or not. I don't deal with adults requesting their own records. Interestingly though adults can also request to see their child protection case notes (social services) and similar information about parental background including their parents' care history would be in that.

Hackney Child is a book written by a care leaver who acessed her files as an adult.

I can only speak for my area but yes if there were concerns or interventions pre birth then they are included in patients record. Usually in HV notes there are records relating to number of pregnancies and number of siblings. Some of these documents would be held in the “red book” in my area. It was common for a copy to be shoved in the flap at the back.

The system is called Euroking although that only dates back to 2006/7 but something very similar was in place before.

Yes I've seen my medical notes.

The point is, is it true that from 2000 children's notes contain details of their mothers previous pregnancies?

And it's more than 'upsetting' this is just about the most personal information about a woman you can have, and it's available to her children?

Is that correct.

And please if you know where the consultations or guidelines or anything about this lives please can you point me in the right direction?

I genuinely can't believe this.

Any adult can make a request to their trust to see their medical records. There is no context provided just the black and white pages.

That’s why as HCPs there is a responsibility to make sure records are accurate and fact based not opinion based. If a family makes a complaint for example it can be made worse if the records aren’t completed as they should be.

And as far as I’m aware there is no aftercare if a patient reads something upsetting in their notes.