More than half of doctors surveyed cite time constraints as the main challenge relating to medical records
Our research indicates what doctors are most concerned about when it comes to medical records.
Monday, 14 April 2025
‘Time constraints in documenting patient consultations’ is the biggest concern for more than half (59%) of doctors when it comes to medical records, according to our research.
Other concerns include ‘third parties requesting access to medical records’ (40%), ‘requests for reports or certificates based on information from medical records’ (31%), ‘the legal requirements for storing and destroying medical records’ (30%) and ‘patients requesting access to medical records’ (28%). See the full results in the graph below.
The research also looked at different specialty groups. It indicated that the main concerns for GPs are ‘time constraints in documenting patient consultations’ (61%) followed by ‘third parties requesting access to medical records’ (50%). Most early career doctors also consider ‘time constraints’ as their main concern (71%), while acute hospital doctors struggle most with ‘issues when using electronic medical records in hospitals’ (58%).
To help you navigate these challenges, we have developed a wealth of educational resources on documentation, privacy, access and retention, which can be found on our collection page. Here, you can find factsheets on topics like responding to a request to access medical records and storing, retaining and disposing of medical records, as well as details of real-life cases on privacy breaches and documentation issues. The more knowledgeable you are about your documentation responsibilities, the more effective your processes can be, and the more time you can save.
Members can also access eLearning courses to gain CPD points, like our recent webinar on AI technology where our expert panel looked at the time-saving potential of using AI scribes in practice, and the limitations to be wary of.
Our resources are designed to give you the knowledge and understanding to help you save time, maintain compliance and provide quality patient care.
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For any queries on this analysis, please contact us at research@avant.org.au.
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For medico-legal advice, please contact us here, or call 1800 128 268, 24/7 in emergencies.
This publication is not comprehensive and does not constitute legal or medical advice. You should seek legal or other professional advice before relying on any content, and practise proper clinical decision making with regard to the individual circumstances. Persons implementing any recommendations contained in this publication must exercise their own independent skill or judgement or seek appropriate professional advice relevant to their own particular practice. Compliance with any recommendations will not in any way guarantee discharge of the duty of care owed to patients and others coming into contact with the health professional or practice. Avant is not responsible to you or anyone else for any loss suffered in connection with the use of this information. Information is only current at the date initially published.
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