Knowledge management and electronic care records: Incorporating social, legal and ethical issues.

Many challenges face developers of secure computer-based clinical systems but the technical problems are overshadowed by many obstacles, key amongst them being social and ethical issues. A sound Knowledge Management (KM) structure within clinical environments can recognise the responsibility of healthcare professionals to keep patient clinical data (for example, electronic care record (ECR) systems) secure. An arrangement is proposed that gives the most senior clinician in a healthcare facility the ultimate responsibility for security of clinical data held in the organisation. Ideally, the senior clinician would possess training and experience in information systems and their security. Contracts should be developed between healthcare facilities and their patients, defining the limits to the use and disclosure of clinical health data. However, we are observing increasing confusion about the term 'Knowledge Management' which may be limited both its efficacy and effectiveness. Health organisations are referring to the term in various contexts and health informatics articles frequently use the term and interpret it in diverse ways. Given the divergence of views, this paper will attempt to establish KM's efficacy for the implementation of electronic care record systems.