The bottom line, Gaffney said, is that "e-records are a great tool. They lead to better documentation and better communication. But, they are not going to replace the human brain and critical thinking."
Both experts acknowledged that a significant concern that patients have about electronic health records is the privacy and security of those records.
"One thing that's really cool about electronic health records is that you can audit the file to see who has viewed the record. You couldn't do that with paper. Anyone could look at it. But, with electronic health records, the system will challenge you if you shouldn't be in that record," Wright said.
More information
Learn more about electronic health records from the U.S government's HealthIT.gov Web site.
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