A.1.1. Access to wards and patients
You are reminded of the ethical guidelines covering the involvement of patients in
clinical teaching and you must always:
be correctly attired and wearing your Campus Card Photo ID;
identify yourself to the patient;
explain the purpose of your interview and examination and obtain verbal
agreement from the patient;
ensure the patient is able to consent and agrees to be interviewed;
respect a patient’s refusal to be examined.
Issues have previously arisen when students have visited wards or hospitals to which
they are not formally allocated, or out of usual work hours. In these situations, it is
particularly important that students observe the following procedures in addition to the
above:
you explain the purpose of your visit to, and seek permission from, the senior
nurse on duty and the nurse looking after the patient before approaching the
patient; or
if the clinical team is present, it is appropriate to speak to a member of that
team.
It is important that these courtesies are observed to ensure students continue to have
access to the wards.
If you are in any way concerned about ethical aspects of your clinical work, you are
urged to consult the attachment convenor for advice or seek advice from the senior
members of the clinical team to which you are attached. Alternatively, you may wish to
discuss your concerns with your Student Support Advisor who can also contact the
Directors of Medical Student Affairs if required. Refer to Ethical Guidelines section of
Clinical Practice: guidelines, policies & legislation.
A.1.2. Case notes
The hospital case records of patients are confidential documents whose custody and
security is the responsibility of the DHB. Clinicians in charge of patients are responsible
to the Chief Executive Officer for the quality and accuracy of these records. It is
everyone’s responsibility to maintain the highest possible standards as these form a
vital record on which the patient’s welfare may depend for years to come. Please ensure
any notes you make are of the highest standard.
A.1.3. Student use of patient information
When preparing your own study notes and case note reports etc., students who have
permission to access a patient file need to be particularly careful that they safeguard
the patient information and do not contravene DHB patient privacy codes. In particular,
no information that identifies the patient (including NHI number and/or date of birth)
can be printed out or copied and stored to any personal device such as a memory stick
or computer.
The Health Information Privacy Code and its implications are outlined in section 10 of
the
Clinical Practice: guidelines, policies & legislation, and students must know and
attend to its requirements. DHB audit systems are monitoring those accessing patient
notes, and misuse is taken very seriously.
A.1.4. Obtaining consent
It is the responsibility of the professional performing the procedure or operation to gain
consent. Students are encouraged to participate in this process. Refer also to Section
1.2 of
Clinical Practice: guidelines, policies & legislation.
Document Outline
