Legal Status of Medical Personnel on Medical Records

환자의 의무기록 관련 의료인의 법적 지위

This study is a paper reviewed legal status of medical personnel and issues of law on recently discovered medical records. As the increase of medical personnel who have gone through the administrative disposal in regards to the medical records, it is needed to examine the legal issue or dispute on the medical records under the current law. Medical records are the statement on patient's medical conditions made by the medical personnel. This records are used as important source for patient's further treatment. This becomes the communication route between the patients and the other medical personnel, and it provides the patients a right to find out their medical information. According to the Medical Service Act (Article 21), a medical personnel shall prepare respectively a record book of medical examination and treatment. And medical personnel shall make a signature. Furthermore, the medical personnel or the opener of the medical institutions must preserve the record book (including an electronic medical record). Meanwhile, the issues of a ban on false entry, additional record, revision or manipulation on the medical record have been recently on the rise. This paper briefly examined the major issues in regards to the medical records. It especially clarified the legal duty on medical records and its major-contentious-issues. At the same time, it pointed out the problems of the unreasonable over interpretation of the law. Furthermore, this suggested the guidelines for the further discussion and review.