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Nursing Standards > You Asked Us
Last modified May 18, 2004
Nursing Standards
Outreach Program
Electronic Signatures
Q
My facility just introduced an electronic order entry system. The computer on my unit alerts me when an order is received for my client, as the physician could be somewhere else in the hospital and has entered the order from a remote terminal. While this has reduced the need for telephone orders, my colleagues and I are concerned about the validity of an electronic signature. How can we be sure that it was the physician who entered the order and not someone else using the physician’s electronic signature?
A
Most (if not all) electronic signatures do not resemble a person’s signature. Instead, they are a secure way of putting a name next to an entry. Nurses shouldn’t confuse a secure password-protected electronic signature with a scanned-in signature that is used like a “rubber stamp,” which may be accessed by a number of people.
The information technology (IT) professionals installing and supporting your new system should be able to assure you and your colleagues that only the authorized user has access to his/her electronic signature. You should be able to rely on this type of assurance and use the system with confidence. If you are aware an electronic signature is being used without authorization, report this breach of security immediately to your supervisor and the IT professional responsible for managing the system.
Health care professionals can protect the integrity of their electronic signatures by:
- maintaining the confidentiality of passwords or other access information;
- changing their password as per facility policy or more frequently if security is at risk;
- using passwords that are not easily deciphered;
- logging off when not using the system or when leaving the terminal;
- ensuring that the keyboard and monitor are placed to ensure maximum privacy and confidentiality; and
- advocating for appropriate education and technical support.
Reference
- Practice Standard - Documentation (#41001)
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