Records should be stored in a secure place, inaccessible to clients and visitors. Extreme care should be taken to safeguard the privacy of other family members. 10.8 Electronic health records Full electronic records allowing direct entry of data by clinicians are currently in use in only a very limited way in New South Wales. Imaging systems where entries are written by hand and subsequently scanned in but which do not allow writing to or altering of the record are in somewhat wider use, mainly for storage and archiving purposes. Some preliminary principles are set down here in acknowledgement of the likelihood that use of electronic records and imaging will become more prevalent.
Electronic records differ from paper records in ways which warrant special consideration.
Firstly, it is possible to have a number of copies of a single electronic record at different sites, giving more people access. Secondly, it is possible to control access to an electronic record in a way that is not possible with a paper record. Standardised security and access procedures are currently being developed. Clients will have the option of registering anonymously as a privacy safeguard. The Evidence Act 1995 does not preclude electronic records being used as evidence unless their veracity can be questioned.