Should a doctor see you without an appointment? Does a doctor have the right to refuse an appointment without an appointment?

On November 27, the order of the Ministry of Health comes into force, according to which doctors, at the request of the patient, must show him the notes they made during the appointment. Get your hands on medical records patients will be able to do so within 30 days, and they will be able to get acquainted with them in a specially designated room. Experts say 30 days is too long long term, if we are talking about the need to check the correctness of the diagnosis. But the ability to immediately read a doctor’s notes is a big step towards respecting patient rights.

A member of the public council of the Ministry of Health, Sergei Lazarev, told Izvestia that according to current legislation, a patient has the right to receive medical documentation reflecting his state of health upon application addressed to the head physician. But specific dates have not been determined.

“Doctors are very reluctant to issue outpatient cards, because if the patient wants to receive a card, it means there are claims,” Lazarev explained. He said that there will always be reasons to find fault with a doctor’s work, for example, a diagnosis recorded late, and within 30 days the medical staff will be able to correct all the shortcomings in the chart.

The President of the League of Patient Advocates, Alexander Saversky, is convinced that the patient has the right to see his medical history and the results of his tests on the day of treatment. He emphasizes that medical records belong to medical institutions, but the owners of the information contained in them are patients.

“An outpatient card is a kind of safe in which the patient’s personal information is stored,” said Alexander Saversky. — A patient cannot wait 30 days! There are vital situations when you need to look at test results to clarify the diagnosis, get a second opinion in a private clinic or at the federal medical center, he added.

But the president of the League of Patient Defenders considers the rule establishing that medical institutions must organize a separate room in which the patient can review the documentation a plus. But he notes that the order does not set out the requirements for the premises, so most likely it will be a fenced-off part of the hall or reception area.

Doctors are not embarrassed by this innovation.

— If a person needs to see the original documents, we are ready to promptly provide them. In a separate room, for example, in the resident’s room, “let him look,” said the head physician of the Children’s City clinical hospital them. FOR. Bashlyaeva Ismail Osmanov. According to him, patients rarely ask to see medical documentation and, as a rule, in his hospital the resolution of such issues takes no more than a couple of days.

Another rule concerns the appointment at the clinic. The order states that when providing primary health care in outpatient setting the patient has the right to review the notes made by the medical professional in medical documentation, during the reception.

- Immediately after taking it, a person will be able to read what he wrote in his outpatient card doctor. This is a very important measure in terms of respecting the rights of the patient, but it is not sufficient,” says Alexander Saversky. He believes that the patient should confirm agreement with the prescribed treatment and sign directly on the card. And although doctors are unlikely to be delighted, this can provide them with safety in the event of a conflict situation.

But Sergei Lazarev, a member of the Public Council of the Ministry of Health, has a completely different opinion.

— Medical documentation is internal document clinics. Well, what can a patient understand from a doctor’s notes? Our medicine is now completely focused on the patient, treat even with spells, the main thing is that he is satisfied,” says Lazarev.

The order also states that familiarize yourself with medical documents, reflecting the patient’s health status, can only be done by the patient himself or his legal representative. According to Alexander Saversky, this means that the patient’s representatives by proxy are not allowed access to information. That is, an outpatient card, in addition to the patient himself, can be issued to parents of minor children, guardians and trustees of incapacitated or partially incompetent citizens.

— This is a very narrow segment. There are times when the patient is in very in serious condition and it is necessary for the relative to go and look at the necessary information in the medical history,” says Alexander Saversky. He told Izvestia that the League of Patient Defenders intends to appeal the order of the Ministry of Health in the Supreme Court.