Quick medical access saving lives

Today, I read from The New York Times about the move toward electronically maintained medical records. Though this was published just yesterday, I know the hospital I work at in New York has already moved toward that direction. As noted by Freudenheim, it would take weeks to find out if an infection was becoming more common than usual, or note if an outbreak was occurring (2012). Medical centers, private or public, were disconnected from each other--I can attest to that. And I can also attest to the fact that this technology helps officials faced with events of public health significance to know what they may be dealing with sooner (Freudenheim, 2012).

Taken from http://www.jofwidata.com/images/database-design-development.jpg

While I have witnessed its effectiveness, I also know of the valid concerns about electronically stored data. The information could be hacked into, which was my initial worry. But the same thing holds for any piece of important information in this day and age. While I would probably feel angry and violated that a stranger has accessed and/or released all my medical information, I think the pros of having quick access to my medical files in the case of an emergency far outweigh the cons, which involve a momentary feeling of violation. Perhaps I am more open to this idea because I have had to deal with identity theft before, so I may be a little more mentally (and legally) prepared when it comes to theft concerning identity or a breach of my personal files. (I also suspect that perhaps people are most protective about their ailments because of the biases surrounding certain illness as pre-existing conditions. But under Obama's health care plan, I think pre-existing conditions can no longer harm an individual in regards to health insurance, so maybe less poeple will worry about their medical files being hacked for that reason. I digress.)

When it comes to the intent and purpose of the quick access to medical care, seems to me that it is for ethical and moral reasons. It makes me happy to see the way technology and current times can mix with traditional medical practices. 

Reference:

Freudenheim, M. (2012, June 18). Fast access to records helps fight epidemics. The New York Times. Retrieved June 18, 2012, from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/19/health/states-using-electronic-medical-records-to-track-epidemics.html?_r=1