A child's health record

Verified 05 December 2023 - Legal and Administrative Information Directorate (Prime Minister)

What is your child's health record used for? It is a document that lists the medical information necessary to monitor your child's health until the age of 18. Its use is restricted to health professionals and consultation is subject to the agreement of the parents or the person in charge of the parental authority. We're laying out the regulations for you.

This health booklet is a document that brings together all the events that concern the health of the child since birth.

It addresses the following topics:

  • Long-term illnesses, allergies, family history
  • Perinatal period, i.e. up to 7 e day of life after birth
  • Medical surveillance
  • Growth curves
  • Oral examinations
  • Hospitalizations, blood products, radiologic testing
  • Vaccinations, infectious diseases.

The booklet also gives a lot of advice on:

  • Feeding of the child
  • Child's welfare
  • Child safety.

It allows health professionals to have all the information related to the child's health.

The booklet shall be drawn up in the child's name.

It shall be delivered:

  • To the parents
  • Or persons responsible for exercising parental authority
  • Or services in the care of the child

It is delivered for free at the time of birth declaration :

  • Either by the registrar of the city hall
  • Or by the registrar of a public hospital if he has a permanent office within the maternity service to register birth declarations.

Alternatively, it can be requested from the departmental maternal and child protection service (PMI).

Who shall I contact

Thus, a child born abroad, who lives in France, can obtain a health booklet.

The health record is kept by the parents or the person or services responsible for the child.

FYI  

If you give this health booklet to your child or a third party, do it in a sealed envelope marked "medical secret".

This booklet is used until the child is 18 years old.

FYI  

It is useful tobring the health card of a traveling child. Abroad, the travel diary can be requested by the health professional or at the customs in case of control of the vaccines required for entry into the country.

During a visit, hospitalization, examination

The diary must be presented at each consultation, hospitalization, examination (radiological, oral, etc.).

The results of the 20 compulsory examinations of a child are mentioned in the booklet.

FYI  

If the minor has a digital health space called My health space (shared medical record)However, these results may also be included.

During vaccination

The health booklet can be used under certain conditions such as vaccination certificate.

Indeed, pages 98-99 and 100-101, inserted at the end of the health card :

  • Are devoted to vaccinations
  • And carry a form number (cerfa n°12594 and n°12595).

The vaccination pages of the health booklet may serve as the vaccination certificate if the following 2 conditions are met :

  • The reference to the vaccination in question shall be dated and signed by the health-care professional who carried out the vaccination
  • The name and address of the health care professional shall be given.

Reminder

The vaccination is mandatory (unless there is a recognized medical contraindication) to enroll a child, including in day care, nursery, school and daycare.

Consultation of a child's health record is subject to the agreement of the child's parents.

Health professionals have access to them in the context of care or preventive acts delivered to the child.

The professional who enters information in the health book identifies himself by the stamp of his practice and by his signature.

The personal data entered in the database are confidential and covered by professional secrecy.

Reminder

If you give this health booklet to your child or a third party, do it in a sealed envelope marked "medical secret".

If the health record is lost, a new one can be requested from the Departmental Maternal and Child Protection (PMI) of the child's home.

The new health card should be given to the doctor who is following the child.

This is because this doctor will be able to complete the missing data (vaccinations for example) from his own file.

Who shall I contact

This diary represents the memory of the patient's state of health since birth.

So you have to keep it for life and present it to the health care practitioner.

This health care practitioner collects important data and writes it into the medical record.