Dialogue. Privacy protection: paper or computer records? Confidentiality of healthcare records.

In summary, security concerns surrounding health data are justified, but solutions are surmountable with currently available technologies. Whether systems are paper or electronic, human factors such as errors, negligence and unethical activities can result in breaches of confidentiality, despite optimal implementations. Neither automated teller machines (ATMs) nor EMRs are free from instances of abuse, but policies and protocols for electronic systems can be implemented that may provide better security than analogous paper record systems.