Minimising electronic communication risks in medicine
AMA Position Statement on medical practitioner responsibilities with electronic communication of clinical information
The AMA today released its Position Statement on medical practitioner responsibilities with electronic communication of clinical information.
AMA Vice President, Professor Geoffrey Dobb, said there is an increasing use of electronic communication between doctors and with other health professionals providing health care.
“While the e-health agenda has been swamped by issues around the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR), secure electronic communication is a priority tool to support doctors coordinating and managing quality health care for their patients,” Professor Dobb said.
“The AMA recognises the inherent risks to doctors of an increased duty of care to patients if they receive large amounts of clinical information electronically, or if they are not aware that they have received certain information electronically.
“In response, the AMA has developed a Position Statement to guide doctors who use electronic communications for clinical information to minimise those risks.
“We have provided a practical, concise and easy-to-understand list of matters that a doctor should consider when sending or receiving information electronically.
“Doctors should ensure that the fundamental principles for effective communication of clinical information do not change simply because information is exchanged electronically.”
The AMA Position Statement on medical practitioner responsibilities with electronic communication of clinical information is at https://ama.com.au/position-
5 December 2013
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