A patient-data migration needs defined source populations, reviewed identity mappings, preserved relationships and evidence that authorised staff can find the intended records after transition. Row counts alone cannot establish a successful migration. Plan how rejected, ambiguous and out-of-scope records remain accessible under an approved arrangement while the organisation resolves them.
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Define the migration boundary with record owners
Identify the source systems, record types, dates, attachments and relationships included in the first transition. Document exclusions and the approved route for accessing information that stays behind.
Agree the meaning of identifiers, timestamps, status fields and historical corrections. Clinical and information-governance owners should resolve domain questions; migration code should implement their decisions rather than invent new meanings.
This guide concerns software verification and transition planning. It does not prescribe clinical record-retention periods or determine legal obligations for a particular organisation.
Create a verification register
| Population | Verification question | Exception owner |
|---|---|---|
| Person records | Are identity mappings reviewed and traceable? | Registration or master-data owner |
| Encounters | Are visits linked to the intended person? | Domain record owner |
| Documents | Can the correct attachment be retrieved? | Information owner |
| Relationships | Are references and chronology preserved? | Migration and domain reviewer |
| Corrections | Is the source history represented appropriately? | Designated record owner |
| Access | Can authorised roles perform required retrieval? | Access and operational owner |
| Exclusions | Is continued access explicitly arranged? | Transition coordinator |
Use authorised representative samples and controlled access for verification. Avoid exporting unnecessary personal information into informal review documents.
Reconcile populations in the right units
Suppose an illustrative source contains 1,000 documents: 940 are loaded, 30 await mapping review, 20 are rejected for technical investigation and ten are explicitly excluded. 940 + 30 + 20 + 10 = 1,000 explains that document population under the assumed categories.
It does not prove every loaded document belongs to the correct person, is readable or preserves the intended content. Reconcile identities, encounters, attachments and relationships separately where their units differ. These invented counts are not a migration success benchmark.
Test retrieval through actual roles
Ask representative authorised staff to locate records using the searches they rely on. Include changed names, similar identifiers and older attachments under the organisation's approved test process.
Verify refused access as well as permitted retrieval. A migration can copy permissions incorrectly even when data loads successfully. Keep the original source reference available for investigation without exposing it to inappropriate users.
Plan the transition window
Document when source changes stop or how later changes are captured. Define final reconciliation, decision ownership and the process for work already in progress.
Agree what happens when acceptance fails. Restoring a database does not automatically reconcile actions already taken in another system. Use an approved recovery runbook and retain enough evidence to explain the operating position.
Questions project teams ask
Can we merge apparent duplicates automatically?
Only under a reviewed matching and correction policy. Similar details are not sufficient evidence that two records describe the same person.
Is a sample review enough?
Use sampling alongside population controls and targeted checks. Define its method and limitations rather than presenting a sample as proof about every record.
Prepare a migration review
Bring the population register, unresolved mappings and retrieval tasks. Use the ERP migration verification guide for general control concepts, adapted with the responsible healthcare owners, and review healthcare software development.