Examining the impact of electronic care records on confidentiality and nursing practice

Electronic care records have significant implications both for frontline nurses and the wider profession. Two articles in last week's issue discussed how the electronic care record (ECR) can support and bring benefits to frontline nurses' role from a practical perspective. They also discussed the scope and complexity of the change management challenges underpinning implementation of ECRs in England. This final article examines the issues nurses must consider when introducing and using this system. These include access and information governance, and matters such as confidentiality.