Awareness Regarding Documentation and Preservation of Medical Records and Associated Medicolegal Issues Among Medical Practitioners: A Cross-sectional Questionnaire-based Study

Proper documentation and preservation of medical records are essential components of medical practice and play an important role in medicolegal cases. This study aimed to assess awareness regarding documentation and preservation of medical records and associated medicolegal issues among medical practitioners. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted over two months at Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences, Karad, involving 132 medical practitioners. Data were collected using a pre-structured and pre-validated questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Awareness regarding the preservation duration of medical records and medicolegal aspects was relatively low among participants, although most were aware of the importance of documenting treatment details and maintaining follow-up records. The study identified gaps in knowledge regarding documentation and preservation of medical records among medical practitioners. Regular training programmes and awareness initiatives are needed to improve compliance with medicolegal documentation standards.