 The next topic we are going to talk about is issues in electronic record keeping. With the advent of personal computer, more and more of us are directly responsible for creating and finding our own documents without the benefit of training within the records of management process. So, as each and every person is now assumed to be a master of Word, Axel, Adobe and all other computer softwares, we are now more responsible to keep the record of all of our files by our own self. Regardless, what kind of the management and training is being provided to us, this is the prime responsibility of a mental health professional that he has to keep his file electronically, save in his system for a very good and long period of time. Basically, whenever we produce any kind of electronic file, we have to have learned a system which will benefit us that how we are going to keep that stored. Sometimes we do not have the information of how we can retrieve an Axel file and convert it to a SPSS data. Or at times, how we can convert a Word file and save it as a new file of a Word in a Windows program. But along with these challenges, this is also a prime obligation that we cannot give a lot of assistance and records to such small tasks because it is a very safe and secure data. So during this process, this is also important to equip yourself with all those computer gadgets and a continuous training or a continuous mentoring is very important so that we can equip ourselves with new systems or new Windows or new programs and electronically save data in a better way. Further complicating matter is that of the issue of preservation of data. Now once you have learned that how you are going to keep any file in an electronic manner into your computer, instead of all those manual files that we show in old hospitals that we have all the data in the system, in the files, in the shelves. Nowadays, whenever we access data from a hospital record, just by entering the phone number or the password or some key number, we can track a patient's complete history. So in case of the sensitive mental health problems, we have to keep those files with some specific care and preservations. There are the few guidelines to avoid errors in institutional electronic records and they need to be taken care of fully. Take care to avoid entering and repeating incorrect information. Always remember that if you have once entered an incorrect number that is going to stay with you forever. Let's say if we have entered the history of illness, the answer to the early symptoms has been wrong. So let's say if it is for the last three months, it can turn into three years. So we have to be very careful because as soon as we track something's symptoms with time and there is incorrect information, it can probably lead towards a different diagnosis. Let's say we see in depression that if it persists for six weeks, it has a different kind of a depression rather than if it persists for the last two years, we are going to see it into a different classification. So similarly, a sensitive patient's information can be greatly changed. When records are being converted, uploaded and used in a hybrid record system, check your words for conservation of problems. Let's say if we have transmitted a file in a different file, then at times during transfer, during its conservation, a lot of changes come in the numbers or files. When we change a file in a different format, then at times it is not compatible and it can disturb some scores or some records. So while doing this type of change, we have to see whether our file can be properly saved or converted or not. Or is there any kind of tables or digits or data that is not changing. Consider how you will access data if the system becomes unusable for a long period of time or even for a short period of time. At times, sometimes our systems are going to be updated, sometimes the system gets hacked or some virus comes in because of which we cannot use them. So in this type of situation, we will have a backup plan that needs to be discussed before uploading any such kind of sensitive material to computers. Take care when using pre-filled forms or attempting to copy and paste text. Whenever we use a pre-filled form and copy and paste it, it is very important to see if any old information has not been cut and we have not been able to mix the new information. So it will leave us with the data of two different patients in one file and that will be providing us no meaning because that one information will not be authentic and then some other information will be mixed up. So in such cases, we need to be very, very careful even if a small mistake has been happened. If the full record, let's say the full record is of Ms. X and probably the demographic information is of Mr. Y, it is going to ruin the whole case. So we have to see that whatever information we are providing, we need to carefully enter the data in pre-filled forms. When adopting or entering a new system, check to ensure that the design aligns with the clinical needs of your clients. At times, we use some computer programs in which we also tell the clients to give their input or we ask them to fill it out. So that is very important that any such kind of management system would be taking care of the basic needs of the clients and if they don't fulfill it properly, then that system won't be of any use to us. Rather, it can be a loss. Guard against electronic routing failures. In cyber age, many times electronic failures are done. Sometimes there is a fault in the entire system that the entire data lines get corrupted or the fiber optics get cut somewhere or they can't work properly. In such a situation, we should have proper backups. Make sure that your clients understand the nature and security of the record keeping system including with the other practitioners will have access to their mental health records. Now, this very point is particularly very, very important because it is going to give another debate in the coming lectures that how and why. The person should be very much sure that his data could be used in different ways but with some ethical concerns or in some situations, who can access the data. If that data is accessed, what will be the nature of it? These are the things which should be well understood by the client prior to uploading any kind of information on the internet. Check the appropriateness of access level of data which you will be entering. So, this is very important that when you upload any data in your system, you should cross check with different computers so that the access of that computer and the access of the data in that computer can be reached to whom? If it is accessible through Bluetooth or through networking in other computers, then we need to make sure that certain passwords may be entered or how can we block those files so that they can not be accessed without the help of other mental health professionals. So, these are the ways we need to be taken care of in case of uploading the data into electronic manner and all those ethical and security concerns are applicable to the data which is being uploaded electronically same as of we are going to keep them into the files.