Access to research participants' medical records
If a researcher is part of a Research Participants Clinical Care Team and would normally and appropriately have access to those records, then no additional authorisation is required.
If, however, as a member of a research team you would not normally have such access, you need to get permission to access those records, and depending on your employer follow one of two routes.
Either:
1.
Employed by another organisation - University of Oxford / other university / other NHS trust - contact R&D
to discuss whether you require an Honorary Research Contract or a Letter of Access.
2.
In addition, complete a Research Access to Notes Registration Form (RANR form) and send to R&D for verification, if this is required, for each project.
3.
Once approved - take the RANR with you every time you wish to request research participant's medical records.
Or:
1.
Employed byOUH - complete a Research Access to Notes Registration Form and send to R&D for verification.
2.
Once approved - take with you every time you wish to request research participant's medical records.
The Research Access to Notes Registration (RANR) form can be downloaded via the link below or sent to you on request by the R&D team:
The Medical Records Library staff will request to see the RANR form before retrieving notes for researchers or allow staff to retrieve notes themselves on each occasion the research attends the Medical Records Library.
Where new staff joins the research team the RANR form should be updated with their names through contact with R&D. [If staff are conducting a study and they do not have a research number a signed letter from the head of the study and a list of patients should be given to the library staff.]
All staff using the library have to receive Library & HIM Tracker training. This is to ensure that staff are able to 'track' medical notes and how to look for notes within the libraries.
Researchers can contact the Medical Records Training Team via email: