Final answer:
A nurse should inform the patient that she indeed has the right to access her medical record. The development of health policy must weigh treatment and diagnosis costs, patient quality of life, and privacy risks. Medical records for government employees can be exempt from the Freedom of Information Act.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a patient requests a copy of her medical record, the nurse's best response is to indicate that she has the right to read her record. Patients generally have the legal right to access their own health records under laws such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in the United States. Ensuring that privacy is maintained throughout this process is essential.
In developing policies to balance the costs of treatments and diagnoses, patient quality of life, and risks to individual privacy, three key questions need to be considered:
How can we ensure that patients have access to their medical records while still protecting their personal health information?
What measures are in place to keep healthcare costs down without compromising the quality of care and patient outcomes?
How do existing policies account for the confidentiality of sensitive health data, especially in regard to unauthorized access and security breaches?
In the context of exceptions to the Freedom of Information Act, medical records for government employees can indeed be considered a reasonable exception, as personal health information is protected.