[LINK] Electronic medical records: why we should seek a second

[David Boxall]

On 19/12/2011 9:50 PM, stephen at melbpc.org.au wrote:
> David writes,
>
>> Nobody denies the risks. Clearly, the powers that be give those risks
>> less weight than the Privacy Foundation would like. I've no doubt that,
>> even with the best intentions, the implementation will be flawed;
>> probably deeply so. That said, the Privacy Foundation probably gives
>> the benefits less weight than the powers that be would like. For mine;
>> though aware of the risks and not among the disadvantaged, I see enough
>> benefits that I'll be willing to participate.
>
> ... going forward, such medical records will be better than gold to
> low-life elements.

The risks are huge, granted. Are we to believe that:
1. privacy is all and;
2. a single, broadly-accessible health record holds no potential benefit 
for any Australian consumer of health services?

Consider a non-hypothetical middle-aged Aboriginal male, admitted 
semi-conscious to Alice Springs hospital. He's mumbling something over 
and over, in a language other than English. When someone finally manages 
to interpret, the message is roughly "Whitefella medicine will kill me".

It is not unknown for such messages to be interpreted as superstitious 
nonsense and disregarded. It is not unknown for the patient to die.

The patient has minimal kidney function, diabetes and a suppurating 
wound on one foot. The treating physician elects minimal treatment until 
she can figure out what's going on.

Through local community resources, the patient is identified, his kin 
are contacted and basic medical history established. It turns out he's 
allergic to a family of antibiotics commonly used to treat the type of 
infection he has.

Finding the information necessary to avoid killing the patient has taken 
several days. In that time, his infection has caused further kidney damage.

Several years earlier, the patient was admitted unconscious to another 
hospital. He was not able to warn treating staff of his allergy, which 
was known since childhood. Treatment didn't kill him, but it did damage 
his kidneys.

If his health records had been available when needed, could outcomes for 
this man have been different? What is the potential for his quality of 
life? What is the potential for his future health costs?

Beyond our comfortable middle-class existence, similar cases are not 
uncommon. Thinking outside our obsessions, are the risks worth taking?

-- 
David Boxall                    |  The more that wise people learn
                                |  The more they come to appreciate
http://david.boxall.id.au       |  How much they don't know.
                                                         --Confucius