Friend or Foe?
Electronic Health Records — Friend or Foe?
While some would argue that having almost instant access to your electronic health records (EHR) could potentially save your life in an emergency situation, or possibly prevent a dangerous or even fatal drug interaction, others claim that it’s all too easy for the information to be breached and fall into the wrong hands!
EHR may indeed improve the safety and delivery of quality health care, may be cost effective and may reduce patient charting errors. However, the costs involved in computerizing medical records can be formidable and present a significant burden to smaller health care practitioners. But, more concerning, is what happens when confidentiality and security regulations are not stringent enough?
Who controls that fuzzy ethical line? Who limits the number of people given access? What additional loss of control is there when the records are stored in databases overseas in countries where $300.00 is a whole month’s pay? Take the scenario of a hacker penetrating the EHR system and disseminating confidential information on the internet. Perhaps a prospective employer learns that a potential employee has a disability, may be too expensive to insure or has been treated for a life threatening illness or mental health issues. Is EHR helpful or harmful?
