From medical record to patient record through electronic data interchange (EDI).

In this contribution the role of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) for patient records is discussed. It is our opinion that unlimited access to patient records of different care provides is not a wise thing to do and may even not be acceptable legally. The exchange of EDI messages may be a solution in that the relevant information is exchanged on a need to know basis under the responsibility of the care provider that generated the information. The state of the art with respect to the availability of EDI messages in Europe is presented.