The legal acceptability of an electronic medical record

The acceptability of an electronic medical record in a court presents a challenge to the legal system which has yet to be met. A definitive solution must straddle the boundaries of the disciplines of law, medicine and information technology. This paper discusses the law as it relates to evidence, information security as it applies to assuring the integrity of an electronic record, and solutions for the GP. While a definitive answer to the problem of legal acceptability of electronic medical records is not offered, the issues are explored in order to stimulate discussion among the relevant disciplines, for only through the cooperation of experts in these fields can a solution ultimately be found.