Now that computers have reached the mainstream, demand for online services is increasing. Recently, this has come to include access to medical records over the Internet. The existence of products such as Microsoft’s HealthVault and Google’s Google Health demonstrates the demand for this type of service. Even though such services can be used to improve the quality of health care, care must be taken to ensure they don’t create new problems.<\/p>\n
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A recent Associated Press article<\/a> discussed some of the risks associated with such a system. In this particular case, the software used by the Veterans Association in their hospitals had a bug, and as a result “patients … were given incorrect doses of drugs, had needed treatments delayed and may have been exposed to other medical errors.” This example shows that even though these types of systems are designed to help eliminate errors in treatment, they can sometimes introduce problems of their own.<\/p>\n The threat of medical mistakes isn’t the only shortcoming of electronic medical records, however. Patient privacy is also a serious concern. Access to these databases must be carefully controlled to protect patient confidentiality.<\/p>\n Placing medical records in an electronic database increases the accessibility of the information for both authorized and unauthorized individuals. This can lead to difficulty in detecting illegitimate access to medical information; it is much easier to detect an unauthorized user in a locked room than it is to detect an unauthorized user remotely accessing a database.<\/p>\n Transitioning from paper based medical records to electronic databases could be very beneficial to patients and doctors alike. Quicker access to critical information could help save lives in medical emergencies. Furthermore, electronic copies of medical information would allow doctors at any hospital to acquire the necessary information to treat the patient. This transition must be done carefully, however. Proper steps must be taken to ensure the confidentiality of this information, as well as its integrity. Not only should access to the information be limited to authorized personnel, but should also be verifiable and accurate.<\/p>\n Written by: Nick Hunt and Jon Andes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Now that computers have reached the mainstream, demand for online services is increasing. Recently, this has come to include access to medical records over the Internet. The existence of products such as Microsoft’s HealthVault and Google’s Google Health demonstrates the … Continue reading Assets<\/h2>\n
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