Storage media profiles and health record retention practice patterns in acute care hospitals.

This exploratory study examined the health record retention practices among health information management professionals in acute care general hospitals in the United States. A descriptive research design was used, and data were collected using a self-reporting survey. Respondents answered questions about the relationship between researcher-assigned storage media profiles (descriptions of the type or types of media on which facilities maintain health records); retention periods and factors affecting record retention periods; retention of secondary data; vendor usage; and continued reliance on paper in environments where electronic health records exist. Storage media profiles were found to be significantly related to facility operational and research needs and to the convenience of not purging records. These findings have implications for federal policy promoting the implementation of electronic health records by 2014.