When you visit a doctor, hospital or other healthcare provider, information about your care has traditionally been recorded in a medical record.
For generations, these records were predominantly kept on paper.
Today, healthcare organizations around the world are increasingly using electronic health records (EHRs) and other digital health-information systems.
An electronic health record can bring together important information about a person's health and healthcare, making relevant information available to authorized healthcare professionals when it is needed.
But moving medical information into digital systems also introduces important questions about:
- privacy,
- cybersecurity,
- accuracy,
- access,
- interoperability,
- and responsible use of health data.
Understanding both the advantages and limitations of EHRs is therefore increasingly important for patients and healthcare professionals.
What Is an Electronic Health Record?
An electronic health record, commonly abbreviated EHR, is a digital record of health information that can support a person's care over time.
Depending on the healthcare system, an EHR may contain information from different healthcare professionals, departments or organizations.
It can provide authorized healthcare professionals with access to relevant information needed to make decisions about a patient's care.
The exact structure of EHR systems varies between countries and healthcare organizations.
What Information Can an EHR Contain?
Depending on the system, an electronic health record may contain information such as:
- name and demographic information,
- medical history,
- diagnoses,
- allergies,
- medicines,
- immunizations,
- laboratory results,
- vital signs,
- clinical notes,
- treatment plans,
- operations and procedures,
- medical images or imaging reports,
- referrals,
- hospital admissions,
- discharge information,
- and other relevant healthcare information.
Some systems also connect with:
- pharmacies,
- laboratories,
- diagnostic imaging services,
- patient portals,
- billing systems,
- public-health systems,
- and other healthcare organizations.
Not every EHR contains all of these elements.
EHR vs EMR: What's the Difference?
The terms Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Electronic Medical Record (EMR) are sometimes used interchangeably, but they can have different meanings.
Traditionally, an EMR has often referred to the digital version of a patient's medical record within a particular healthcare organization or practice.
An EHR generally has a broader concept: information designed to support care over time and, where systems allow, across different healthcare providers or organizations.
However, terminology varies internationally.
The important issue for patients is not simply what a system is called, but whether relevant health information can be:
- accurately recorded,
- appropriately accessed,
- securely exchanged,
- and protected.
EHR vs Personal Health Record
An EHR should also be distinguished from a personal health record (PHR).
An EHR is generally maintained as part of a healthcare provider or health system's clinical information infrastructure.
A personal health record may give individuals greater responsibility for entering, maintaining or organizing some of their own health information.
Modern patient portals and health applications have made the distinction more complicated because patients can increasingly access information stored within healthcare organizations' systems.
The exact arrangements vary by country and technology.
Why Are Electronic Health Records Used?
Healthcare can involve many professionals and organizations.
One person may receive care from:
- a family doctor or primary-care provider,
- hospital,
- specialist,
- laboratory,
- pharmacy,
- physiotherapist,
- mental-health professional,
- and other healthcare services.
If important information remains isolated in separate locations, healthcare professionals may not have the full information they need.
Electronic health records can help make relevant health information more accessible and support coordination between healthcare professionals when systems are appropriately connected.
Potential Benefits of Electronic Health Records
Well-designed and properly implemented EHR systems can provide important benefits.
These may include:
- improved access to patient information,
- better coordination of care,
- more complete medical histories,
- improved communication,
- clinical alerts and reminders,
- easier access to laboratory results,
- electronic prescribing,
- reduced duplication,
- support for quality improvement,
- and more efficient administrative processes.
The benefits depend heavily on how well the system is designed, implemented and used.
Better Access to Health Information
One of the major advantages of an EHR is that authorized healthcare professionals can potentially access relevant patient information more quickly.
For example, knowing that a patient:
- has a serious medicine allergy,
- takes a particular medication,
- has recently undergone surgery,
- or had an abnormal laboratory result
could influence clinical decisions.
Current ONC guidance notes that more complete patient information can help healthcare professionals make better-informed decisions and reduce safety risks.
EHRs and Patient Safety
Electronic health records can support patient safety in several ways.
Some systems provide:
- medicine-interaction warnings,
- allergy alerts,
- abnormal-result notifications,
- preventive-care reminders,
- and other forms of clinical decision support.
Electronic prescribing can also reduce problems caused by illegible handwritten prescriptions.
However, EHR systems cannot eliminate medical errors.
Incorrect information entered into an EHR can still cause problems, and poorly designed alerts can sometimes overwhelm healthcare professionals.
Technology should therefore support—not replace—professional clinical judgment.
EHRs and Medication Safety
Medicines are an area where accurate information is particularly important.
An EHR may help healthcare professionals view:
- current medicines,
- previous prescriptions,
- documented allergies,
- and potential medicine interactions.
This can help support safer prescribing.
But the information must be kept accurate and current.
Patients should continue telling healthcare professionals about:
- medicines they take,
- allergies,
- supplements,
- and important changes to their treatment
rather than assuming that every computer system automatically has the complete information.
What Is a Patient Portal?
A patient portal is a secure digital service that can allow patients to access parts of their healthcare information.
Depending on the system, patients may be able to:
- view laboratory results,
- see appointments,
- review medicines,
- read clinical notes,
- request prescription refills,
- communicate securely with healthcare professionals,
- or access other health information.
Patient portals can help people participate more actively in their healthcare.
Features and patient-access rights differ between healthcare systems.
What Is Interoperability?
One of the most important concepts in modern electronic healthcare is interoperability.
Interoperability means different information systems can exchange information and make appropriate use of it.
Imagine that a patient receives treatment at one hospital but later needs emergency care somewhere else.
Having two electronic systems does not automatically mean the second hospital can access information from the first.
The systems need compatible standards, appropriate governance and secure ways of exchanging information.
Why Does Interoperability Matter?
Interoperability can help create a more complete picture of a person's healthcare.
Secure health-information exchange may help:
- improve coordination,
- reduce unnecessary duplicate tests,
- provide relevant medical history,
- improve continuity of care,
- and reduce avoidable mistakes.
ONC identifies interoperability as important for creating longitudinal health records involving information from multiple healthcare providers.
WHO also promotes interoperability and data-sharing standards as important parts of digital-health development.
Does an EHR Automatically Follow You Everywhere?
No.
This is an important misconception.
Having an electronic record does not necessarily mean every doctor, hospital or healthcare organization can see it.
Access can depend on:
- the healthcare system,
- technology,
- interoperability,
- legal requirements,
- organizational agreements,
- patient consent requirements,
- and other governance arrangements.
Health information can remain fragmented even when multiple organizations use electronic records.
EHR Privacy
Medical information is highly sensitive.
An electronic health record can contain information about:
- physical health,
- mental health,
- medicines,
- reproductive health,
- sexual health,
- genetic information,
- disabilities,
- and other private matters.
Healthcare organizations therefore need appropriate safeguards to prevent unauthorized access or misuse.
Privacy laws and patient rights vary between countries.
There is no single privacy law that applies to every EHR worldwide.
Who Can Access an Electronic Health Record?
Access depends on local laws, healthcare systems and organizational policies.
Generally, organizations should restrict health information to people who are appropriately authorized to access it for legitimate purposes.
Modern systems can use mechanisms such as:
- individual user accounts,
- role-based access,
- passwords,
- multi-factor authentication,
- audit logs,
- encryption,
- and other security controls.
Access should not simply be available to everyone working within a healthcare organization.
What Is an Audit Log?
Many electronic systems can record information about activity within a patient's record.
An audit log may record details such as:
- which authorized user accessed a record,
- when access occurred,
- and what activity was performed.
Audit capabilities can help organizations investigate inappropriate access and support accountability.
The exact information collected depends on the system.
Cybersecurity and Electronic Health Records
Digitizing healthcare information creates cybersecurity risks.
Healthcare systems can be targeted by:
- ransomware,
- phishing,
- stolen credentials,
- malicious software,
- insider misuse,
- and other cyber threats.
A successful attack can do more than expose confidential information.
It may also disrupt:
- appointments,
- laboratory systems,
- prescribing,
- diagnostic services,
- hospital operations,
- and other essential healthcare functions.
Cybersecurity is therefore also a patient-safety issue.
How Can EHR Systems Be Protected?
Security measures may include:
- encryption,
- access controls,
- multi-factor authentication,
- network security,
- security monitoring,
- software updates,
- backups,
- employee training,
- incident-response planning,
- and appropriate data governance.
WHO's current cybersecurity guidance for digital health emphasizes security and privacy throughout health-information systems rather than relying on one technical solution.
No digital system can be guaranteed completely immune from attack.
Are Electronic Records Stored in the Cloud?
Some are, but not all.
EHR systems may use:
- cloud infrastructure,
- local servers,
- data centres,
- hybrid infrastructure,
- or other arrangements.
Where information is physically stored is only one part of security.
Organizations also need to consider:
- encryption,
- authentication,
- backups,
- access controls,
- vendor security,
- network protection,
- and legal requirements.
Can EHRs Reduce Duplicate Testing?
Potentially.
If appropriate previous results are accessible, a healthcare professional may be able to see that a test has already been performed.
Secure health-information exchange can therefore help reduce some unnecessary duplicate procedures and tests.
However, a clinician may sometimes intentionally repeat a test because:
- the patient's condition has changed,
- the previous result is outdated,
- confirmation is needed,
- or another clinical reason exists.
EHRs should support appropriate decisions rather than automatically prevent repeated testing.
Can Electronic Records Contain Errors?
Yes.
Electronic does not mean infallible.
Errors can occur because of:
- incorrect data entry,
- outdated information,
- selecting the wrong option,
- copying inaccurate information,
- duplicate patient records,
- incomplete information,
- or information imported incorrectly from another system.
An error can also spread if incorrect information is copied between systems.
Data quality remains extremely important.
What Should You Do If Your Health Record Is Wrong?
If you discover potentially incorrect information in your electronic health record, contact the healthcare organization responsible for the record.
Examples worth raising include:
- incorrect allergies,
- medicines you no longer take,
- missing important medicines,
- incorrect diagnoses,
- wrong personal information,
- or records that appear to belong to another patient.
The process for requesting corrections differs between countries.
Healthcare providers may need to preserve the original clinical record while adding an amendment or correction according to applicable rules.
EHRs and Clinical Decision Support
Some electronic health systems include clinical decision-support tools.
These can provide:
- alerts,
- reminders,
- guidelines,
- medicine checks,
- diagnostic support,
- or other information to clinicians.
For example, a system might alert a clinician to a documented allergy before a medicine is prescribed.
Decision-support tools can improve care when appropriately designed.
However, they should not be treated as substitutes for qualified healthcare professionals.
EHRs and Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is increasingly being integrated with electronic health information.
Potential applications include:
- helping summarize clinical information,
- assisting documentation,
- identifying patterns,
- supporting diagnostic processes,
- predicting risks,
- and helping organize healthcare workflows.
But AI introduces additional concerns.
These include:
- data quality,
- bias,
- transparency,
- privacy,
- security,
- accuracy,
- accountability,
- and appropriate human oversight.
WHO has emphasized that health-data governance becomes particularly important as AI is increasingly incorporated into healthcare.
EHRs and Medical Research
Health information can sometimes be used to support research.
Large datasets may help researchers study:
- disease patterns,
- treatment outcomes,
- medicine safety,
- healthcare quality,
- and population health.
However, the use of patient information for research should follow appropriate:
- ethical requirements,
- privacy safeguards,
- governance,
- security measures,
- and applicable laws.
Digital records do not mean patient information can be freely used for any purpose.
EHRs and Public Health
Electronic health information can also support public-health activities.
Depending on the system and applicable rules, health information can contribute to:
- disease surveillance,
- vaccination programmes,
- outbreak monitoring,
- health statistics,
- population-health planning,
- and quality improvement.
Accurate and timely data can help health authorities identify trends and allocate resources.
Digital Health Wallets and Portable Records
Digital health records continue to evolve beyond traditional hospital systems.
In March 2026, WHO and partners announced an initiative supporting secure, interoperable digital health wallets in ASEAN countries.
The programme aims to help individuals carry trusted essential health information while supporting national health systems.
WHO says the initiative will use international interoperability approaches including HL7 FHIR and the International Patient Summary.
This illustrates the direction in which health records are moving: toward information that can be more securely portable and usable across different systems.
What Is HL7 FHIR?
FHIR stands for Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources.
It is a widely used standard developed by HL7 International for exchanging healthcare information electronically.
Standards such as FHIR can help different applications and health systems exchange information in more consistent ways.
Patients do not normally need to understand the technical details.
What matters is that common standards can help reduce the problem of healthcare systems being unable to communicate with one another.
Challenges of Electronic Health Records
Although EHRs offer significant potential benefits, they also create challenges.
These can include:
- implementation costs,
- cybersecurity risks,
- privacy concerns,
- system downtime,
- poor interoperability,
- data-entry burden,
- staff training requirements,
- inaccurate records,
- alert fatigue,
- and poorly designed interfaces.
Digital healthcare should therefore not be judged simply by whether an organization has installed an EHR.
The quality of implementation matters enormously.
What Happens When an EHR System Goes Down?
Healthcare organizations need plans for occasions when electronic systems become unavailable.
Downtime may result from:
- technical failures,
- power problems,
- maintenance,
- network disruption,
- or cyberattacks.
Organizations may need backup procedures so essential healthcare can continue safely.
This illustrates why digital transformation requires operational planning as well as technology.
Are Electronic Records Better Than Paper?
Electronic records offer important advantages over traditional paper systems, particularly for:
- searching information,
- sharing appropriate information,
- coordinating care,
- analysing data,
- clinical alerts,
- and reducing physical storage requirements.
But electronic systems introduce risks that paper records do not have in the same form, especially large-scale cyberattacks and rapid unauthorized copying of information.
The goal is therefore not merely to replace paper with computers.
It is to create secure, reliable and useful health-information systems that improve healthcare.
What Patients Can Do
Patients can contribute to the accuracy and security of their electronic health information.
Useful actions include:
- checking available records for significant errors,
- keeping healthcare providers informed about current medicines,
- reporting allergies accurately,
- using strong passwords for patient portals,
- enabling multi-factor authentication when available,
- avoiding sharing portal passwords,
- being cautious about suspicious messages,
- and asking healthcare providers how important errors can be corrected.
If you use health apps, consider what information the app collects and how it is used.
The Future of Electronic Health Records
Electronic health records are likely to become increasingly connected with:
- patient portals,
- mobile health applications,
- wearable devices,
- remote monitoring,
- telemedicine,
- digital health wallets,
- artificial intelligence,
- advanced analytics,
- and public-health information systems.
The challenge will be ensuring that greater connectivity does not come at the expense of:
- privacy,
- security,
- accuracy,
- equity,
- or patient trust.
Technology alone cannot create a good healthcare system.
Digital health needs effective governance, appropriate standards, skilled professionals and a strong focus on patient safety.
The Bottom Line
Electronic health records are digital systems used to record and manage information about a person's healthcare.
They can help healthcare professionals access important information such as:
- diagnoses,
- medicines,
- allergies,
- laboratory results,
- clinical notes,
- treatment history,
- and other relevant health information.
Properly implemented EHRs can support:
- safer care,
- better coordination,
- more informed clinical decisions,
- patient participation,
- efficient workflows,
- and health-information exchange.
But they also introduce important challenges involving:
- cybersecurity,
- privacy,
- interoperability,
- data quality,
- system reliability,
- and responsible use of health information.
The future of electronic health records therefore depends not simply on collecting more data, but on making health information accurate, secure, interoperable and useful to patients and healthcare professionals.
Information Disclaimer
This article provides general educational information for an international audience. Electronic health-record systems, patient-access rights, privacy laws, data-protection requirements and health-information-sharing rules vary between countries and jurisdictions. Contact your healthcare provider or relevant health/data-protection authority for information applicable to your location.
Sources and Further Reading
World Health Organization — Digital Health
https://www.who.int/health-topics/digital-health
World Health Organization — Cybersecurity and Privacy Maturity Assessment and Strengthening for Digital Health Information Systems
https://www.who.int/europe/publications/i/item/WHO-EURO-2025-11827-51599-78854
World Health Organization — Health Data Governance in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
https://www.who.int/europe/publications/i/item/WHO-EURO-2025-11462-51234-78079
World Health Organization — Digital Health Wallet Initiative
https://www.who.int/news/item/23-03-2026-who-and-partners-launch-new-initiative-to-expand-use-of-digital-health-wallets
Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology — Benefits of EHRs
https://healthit.gov/health-it-basics/benefits-ehrs/
Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology — Improved Patient Care Using EHRs
https://healthit.gov/health-it-basics/improved-patient-care-using-ehrs/
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