Use of client held records in the maternity services

This article reports on one aspect of a national survey of heads of midwifery regarding their views on record keeping practices in the maternity services. The use of the client held record in particular is the focus of this article. The article confirms that client held records are popular and widely used within the maternity services. It also explores the varying degrees to which clients are actively involved in the use and maintenance of their record. Findings from the survey demonstrate that client empowerment cannot simply be assumed by clients having physical access to their notes. More work needs to be done to enable clients to be properly empowered through the use of client held records. The article ends by exploring other reasons for the importance of their continued use, both within the maternity services and beyond