The Ethics of Electronic Patient Records

Electronic records are fundamentally different from paper-based records in more than merely a technical sense. They allow an unprecedented insight into the patient's health profile and function as patient analogues in making health care decisions by individual health care providers, health care institutions, agencies, and insurance corporations. The development of these records therefore has tremendous ethical implications. This book develops a theory of the nature of electronic patient records as informatic patient analogues and presents the ethical implications that follow from their unique status. The rights and duties of physicians, health information professionals, as well as hospitals and other institutions receive special consideration. Suggestions for appropriate codes and regulation are also included.