According to PHIPA and PIPA, consent to retrieve personal medical records must come from a requester over the age of 16 years old. When registering a client who is a Minor, i.e. a person under the age of 16 years old, you must provide authorizations from a Substitute Decision Maker (SDM) in order for records to be collected. 


Authorizations from a SDM may also be required if the client you are requesting records for is deceased or otherwise unable to sign consents themselves. 


If you would like to edit SDM information please see our article How to Edit SDM Information


1. Click on the "Clients" tab in the menu on the left-hand side of the screen.


2. Click the "New Client" button.


3. Select "A Substitute Decision Maker is signing the consents" and click Next.


4. Fill in the required fields for the SDM's Personal Information (ie. the person signing the consents) and click Next

There are 3 different types of SDM, they are;

Parent or Guardian

Power of Attorney/Litigation Guardian

Executor of Estate



5. Fill in the Client's Personal Information (ie. the person you are requesting records for), click Next, and then Accept the Terms of Use.



6. Review SDM and Client details. If there is an error, click Back and make revisions as needed. If the information is correct, click Next.


7. Upload the Required Documents or choose to Skip for now to complete client registration.

Tip: Please see our article on Appropriate Supporting Documents for a Substitute Decision Maker (SDM)


8. The client is registered!


If you would like to edit SDM information please see our article How to Edit SDM Information


Great job! You now know how to register a Substitute Decision Maker (SDM) for a client!

If you have questions or feedback, please feel free to reach out to us at support@medchart.ca.