The view of the General Medical Council

Abstract

Information about a patient's health is recorded in order to provide for that patient's care. Most patients will not think about the other uses for their data and many assume that the information they provide will go no further than the health care professionals who have been caring for them.

Information collected about patients is essential for developments in our understanding of health and health care. Most patients will be happy to allow their data to be used for these purposes, once this has been explained. Health care professionals have an obligation to ensure that patients know when identifiable data about them are to be used and to get their agreement about making disclosures.

We know that this is not easily achieved; doctors, nurses and others providing care are already over-stretched. Patients may be anxious about their condition and treatment. They may not, for a variety of reasons, read leaflets or letters sent or given to them. This does not mean our obligations to respect patients by keeping them informed and seeking their agreement can be ignored. Openness about how health care professionals work and partnership with patients are essential to the continued trust of the public in the professions. The challenge is not to answer the question whether we need consent but rather how we can best obtain it.