The Ethics of Online Medical RecordsAbstract: This document describes the ethical implications of developing a national online medical database. Such a database would contain the medical records of all U.S. residents by combining information from a variety of sources. The benefits of such a system are many, but ultimately the question remains whether patients want to trade privacy for better healthcare. A lonely ninety-year-old Chinese woman walks into a clinic. Without any medical records, doctors diagnosed her with a stroke and she was immediately admitted to hospital. Two days later, his son arrives at the hospital, apparently quite angry with the doctors. He informs the doctors that his mother has been in this condition for many years and should not be treated for a stroke. Unfortunately, the treatment has already begun and the son is billed $12,000 for two days of hospitalization. This unfortunate incident was witnessed by Jennifer Danek, MD at a hospital in San Francisco. He concludes: “If we had gotten the medical history right, we could have saved this woman a lot of unnecessary tests and not cost her son his entire life savings” [3]. It is ironic that in today's so-called information age, doctors have a dearth of accessible information about their patients! This lack of patient information has not only handicapped doctors but also put their patients' lives at risk. In an attempt to solve this problem, some doctors have proposed the creation of a national database containing the medical records of every American resident [4]. While the benefits of this system are many, opponents argue that patient privacy could be compromised. Worse yet, confidential patience... half of the document... The revolution of logic brings new ethical and legal risks." Psychiatric News (2000): 26 pars. 26 January 2001. .2. Chapmann, Audrey. Healthcare ethics and of information. Kansas City: Sheed and Ward, 1997.3. Danek, Jennifer, MD, The Medical School Survival Guide Probus, 1994.5. Orentlicher, David and Barr, Bob. “Is a 'unique health identifier' for every American a good idea?”42 par. 26 January 2001. .6. Counterpoint: Should Americans' medical records include unique identifiers?" Doctor's Weekly, November 1998 vol. XV: 43.