Four ethical issues that arise when storing electronic information about individuals are privacy and confidentiality, security breaches, system implementation and data inaccuracies. The first ethical issue, privacy and confidentiality, is the right of an individual to keep information about themselves from being disclosed to others. Information of an individual should be released to others only with the individual’s permission or allowed by law. Information shared as a result of clinical interaction is considered confidential and must be protected. Security breaches threaten patient privacy when confidential health information is made available to others without the individual’s consent or authorization. If the information is not encrypted, then their information is basically compromised because anyone could guess the password with a randomly generated key. Emphasis must be laid on encrypting mobile devices that are used to transmit confidential information. With system implementation, many challenges arise. Implementations could result in wasted resources, loss of confidence by users, and safety issues. The development and implementation of these systems require lots of money and funding from others. When any two systems are integrated, an interface is created. By the user interface, we mean an interface between the user and the computer system. These interfaces are critical to the overall success of the implementation process. Interface issues are the greatest system risk because these failures can be invisible initially. Lack of systematic consideration of users and tasks often results in poor user interface. Poorly designed user interfaces account for unintended adverse consequences leading to decreased time efficiency, poor quality of care and increased threat to user safety. Concerns have been raised about the accuracy and reliability of data entered into the electronic record. A feature that can cause a problem in the data integrity is the drop down menu and disposition of relevant information in the trash. Loss or destruction of data occurs during data transfer; this raises concerns about the accuracy of the database as an individual’s decisions are based on them.

Ozair, Fouzia F, et al. “Ethical Issues in Electronic Health Records: A General Overview.” Perspectives in Clinical Research, Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd, 2015, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4394583/#:~:text=%5B8%5D%20There%20are%20four%20major,system%20implementation%2C%20and%20data%20inaccuracies.