Carrying their own medical records: the perspective of pregnant women

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Abstract
Freedom of information, access to and ownership of medical records are current and controversial issues in Australia. Relating to pregnancy and birth the debate provokes emotional responses and raises important questions about access to information, decision‐making, responsibility, power and control. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the impact on pregnant women of carrying their medical records throughout pregnancy. Twenty‐one women participated in face‐to‐face individual interviews, which were coded for thematic analysis. The study found the reaction of women toward carrying their own records to be overwhelmingly positive. Maternal record holding had the potential to improve the level of communication between the health care worker and the pregnant woman and provided a greater sense of sharing and communication within the family. The study also established that maternal record holding was of benefit to the woman's partner who was better informed and more involved in the pregnancy. All but one of the women who participated favoured carrying their records in subsequent pregnancies. A concern about the potential for losing or misplacing records was not seen in this study, as no women lost their records. A sense of ownership would argue against this possible drawback.