ABSTRACT
Traditionally, the medical record has been an essential information store capturing the patient's history of diagnosis and treatment with a healthcare provider. The latent need – the true record advocacy that remains to be understood or achieved – is the further development of the record so that it truly acts on behalf of patients as their advocate under a range of different circumstances. In the more complex world of hospitals, with a large range of diagnostic and other information, and tremendous demands upon the records library function, a distinct medical records profession has become established, together with principles and techniques. The advent of modern telecommunications led to widespread parts of industry and commerce dispensing with paper and relying upon electronic media for both transmission and storage of information. The Institute of Medicine report highlighted, appropriately, the benefits of much wider and immediate access to essential information.
