Electronic medical records in Spain

Abstract

This paper discusses the current state of computerization of health information in Spain, where the priorities include the establishment of an electronic medical record that integrates all information about patients, makes it universally accessible and ensures the ethical use and confidentiality of the information as well as the privacy of individuals. To implement this change, it is imperative to combine the existing information systems of different health areas that perform in isolation. Although the Spanish government has launched an online health project to achieve this goal, there are still difficulties due to the lack of resources and infrastructure and a few barriers between the Spanish autonomous communities that must be overcome.