The privacy and security of occupational health records.

摘要

THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY and Health Administration (OSHA) defines an "occupational medical record" as an occupation-related, chronological, cumulative record, regardless of the form or process by which it is maintained (i.e., paper document, microfiche, microfilm, or automatic data processing media). The occupational medical record includes information about health status documented on an employee, including personal and occupational health histories as well as the opinions and written evaluations generated in the course of diagnosis, employment-related treatment, and examination by healthcare professionals and technicians. The definition includes employee exposure records, occupational illness, and accident or injury records. The terms occupational medical record, occupational health record, and employee health record are often used interchangeably. For the purposes of this practice brief it will be referred to as the occupational health record (OHR). This practice brief will discuss a variety of issues related to OHRs, including privacy and security principles as well as content and record management practices for the healthcare provider. For the purposes of this practice brief, the term "healthcare provider" includes hospitals, ambulatory, surgery centers, physicians, clinics, and other healthcare providers.