Should you have an electronic or printed copy of your documents?

Electronic versions of your health care Advance Directives sounds like a more reliable way to store your documents, right? Unfortunately, this is not always the case.

Although having information stored online may seem more convenient and easily accessible than carrying around a paper copy, there are quite a few issues that make this method less reliable than it initially seems.

One of the major problems with electronic documents is that doctor’s offices and emergency rooms often use different record systems, making it impossible for emergency room staff to access your Health Care Proxy or Living Will and other important information in an electronic format that is different from their system.

Additionally, many individuals receive treatment from a variety of different sources such as hospitals, nursing homes, primary care physicians, and specialists, which makes it even more unlikely that they will encounter a unified system for storing electronic information.

Many systems are also difficult to navigate because they do not have specific tabs or sections set aside for advance directives. This means that even if emergency room staff are able to access the patient’s records, it could be difficult for them to locate the information they are looking for. All of these flaws may result in a patient who specified their wishes ahead of time, receiving more treatment than they wanted as doctors will end up erring on the side of providing the most treatment possible when their advance directives cannot be accessed.

Currently, the best way to ensure that your wishes will be met is to utilize both electronic and print versions of your advance directives. Make sure your advance directives are easily accessible to a trusted family member or friend in the event that doctors are unable to access your electronic file.