Ethical Issues and the Electronic Health Record

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Bioethics
• Health Policy

Background:

• Electronic health records (EHRs) are increasingly adopted in healthcare settings.
• EHRs are associated with potential benefits like improved access, quality, and cost reduction.
• However, the consistent demonstration of these benefits remains under investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the ethical issues and conflicts arising from the implementation of EHRs.
• To examine the impact of EHRs on core ethical principles: beneficence, autonomy, fidelity, and justice.
• To provide recommendations for healthcare personnel, leaders, and policymakers.

Main Methods:

• Ethical analysis of EHR implementation.
• Review of potential conflicts between EHR functionalities and established ethical principles.
• Identification of challenges related to data sharing, security, and equitable access.

Main Results:

• EHRs may conflict with beneficence if benefits like improved access and cost reduction are not consistently realized.
• Patient autonomy is threatened by data sharing without consent, and fidelity is breached by data exposure.
• Justice concerns arise from unequal access to health information resources based on socioeconomic factors.

Conclusions:

• EHRs introduce complex ethical dilemmas that require careful consideration.
• Proactive discussion and resolution of ethical conflicts are necessary before widespread negative impacts occur.
• Recommendations are needed to guide ethical EHR adoption and management.