Communication du dossier médical : mode d'emploi

In France, the law of March 4, 2002 guarantees the patient's right to direct access to his/her medical file. The healthcare professional, should the practice be public or private, must respond to the patient's request within the assigned delay. The challenge of this law is to extend this right to third parties (for example, a rightful claimant or beneficiary). This provision carries some risk because the information concerning a person's health is by definition a medical secret. The law states that the file cannot be communicated to a third party if, while living, the patient expressed his/her opposition to such communication. But, are patients sufficiently informed of their right?