Which of the following is an advantage of electronic health records compared to paper records?

• A. Electronic records can be transported over networks as long as encryption is not used during transport.
• B. With electronic records, it is not necessary to prepare for potential disasters, such as fires and natural catastrophes, which affect paper records.
• C. Electronic records allow for fine-tuned control of access permissions, potentially putting patients in control of their health information.
• D. They require no additional steps

Answer: (D)

Granular access control is the strongest advantage electronic health records offer. With EHR systems, you can set precise permissions so each person sees only what they need to do their job, and you can record every access with an audit trail. This means clinicians get appropriate privacy and accountability, and patients can sometimes access their own records through a portal and decide with whom to share information. Paper records rely on physical custody and informal controls, making it harder to enforce who can view what and to track access over time.

Transporting data over networks must be protected, so encryption is essential for in-transit protection; doing it without encryption would compromise privacy and security, so that scenario isn’t an advantage. While electronic records do improve disaster resilience by enabling offsite backups and rapid recovery, you still must plan for and implement disaster recovery measures—no system eliminates the need for preparedness. And electronic records do involve ongoing steps like data entry, system maintenance, user training, and security controls; the idea that they require no additional steps isn’t accurate.