The medical record contains personal information about patients and their treatment, including:
Text and images
Graphs and X-rays
Video and audio recordings related to the treatment and health of the patient
A patient or their representative has the right to access their medical record, obtain a copy of it, and receive a list of who has viewed it.
The Directorate of Health provides information about patients' access to medical records as well as laws regarding medical records.
Delivery
Once the request has been processed, a digital copy can be accessed in the digital mailbox.
Request for Corrections
A patient or their representative can request corrections to incorrect or misleading information in the medical record by sending a reasoned request via email to the medical records department at nasu@landspitali.is
All requests go through a committee for access to medical information, and processing of requests and responses may take several weeks. A denial of information can be appealed to the Directorate of Health.
If a patient disagrees with information in the record, they can submit comments, which will be added to the medical record.
Incorrect information, such as incorrectly recorded allergies or medications, can be corrected immediately.
Laws prohibit the deletion of information from medical records without the approval of the Directorate of Health.
A request for a copy of own medical records must be filled out on Landspítali's page on Ísland.is.
Please specify exactly which data and from what period you are requesting.
Examples of data you can request:
Physician's notes, nursing notes, and more from stays or visits at Landspítali.
Maternity records.
Results from imaging studies, pathology, and other examinations.
Other, such as anesthesia reports, medication records, or vital signs records.
If anything is unclear, we will contact you by phone or email before retrieving the data.
Processing Requests
Copies from medical records or maternity records are only delivered upon written request.
If a parent requests data for a child who does not have the same legal domicile, a custody certificate from Registers Iceland is required.
Authorization: For a third party (e.g., a lawyer or insurance company) to receive a copy, a written authorization from the patient (or mother if it's a maternity record) is required. The authorization must be attested by two individuals and specifically permit "a copy from Landspítali's medical record."
Psychiatric Department: Requests for medical record copies from individuals admitted to the psychiatric department may be delayed according to general operating procedures if delivering such data could negatively impact the patient's treatment. If a request comes from a patient receiving treatment at the forensic psychiatry department, it is always referred to the chief physician of that department.
Deceased Individuals: Information from a deceased individual's medical record is only released if written authorization from the deceased exists from when they were alive, and there is no information in the medical record suggesting they would have been opposed to such disclosure. Otherwise, the matter is referred to the committee for access to medical record information for a decision.
Ambiguous Cases: All ambiguous cases are sent to the committee for access to medical record information.
Data Delivery
Copies from medical records are delivered as a .pdf document and delivered in a secure electronic form on Ísland.is
The Chief Medical Officer of the National University Hospital appoints a committee for electronic medical records that monitors the use of electronic medical record information in collaboration with the IT department.
All staff and students with access to medical records at the National University Hospital are bound by confidentiality and non-disclosure obligations.
Healthcare personnel are responsible for their own entries in the medical records.
Objectives of the Electronic Medical Records Oversight Committee
To ensure that staff comply with regulations regarding personal information and are aware of monitoring practices.
Main Tasks
Verify that access to medical records is in accordance with patient treatment.
Conduct random audits of medical records and staff inquiries.
Collect information on access to medical records based on reports.
Review access to medical records of selected individuals.
Suspicions of violations are referred to the Chief Medical Officer.
