Viewpoint: Yes, the loss of privacy due to the digitization of medical records has already had a negative impact on patient care, and necessary safeguards have not been enacted by the health-care industry.

Viewpoint: No, the loss of privacy due to the digitization of medical records is being minimized by new legislation, and the potential advances in patient care made possible by the digitization of medical records are enormous.

For many, the thought of large numbers of people—authorized or otherwise—having access to their personal medical records is an uncomfortable and worrying notion. It is, therefore, not surprising that the digitization of medical records, and their accumulation...