Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Medical Records Protection

One of the bullet points in IM.2.20,EP 6, mentions protecting records in a manner that minimizes the possibility of damage from fire or water. How can we protect our records from both fire and water when we are mandated to have sprinklers in the chart room in case of fire? We will have a problem with water if the sprinklers go off.

Protection from water would be other than water from a sprinkler system that is activated due to a fire in that room, like water from a leaky roof or an open window to the outside. It is understood that water from a sprinkler system could damage your records if activated; however, that would be a trade-off for saving lives and the building. JCAHO is not mandating that records be put into fireproof cabinets, although that would be one way to cover all bases. 

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