Over the past two decades, the entire medical profession has undergone a radical transformation in the area of record keeping. What used to be recorded primarily on paper, in the form of either handwritten or typed notations, is now entered on computers and stored electronically on computers or file servers. This is the primary manner in which records are created and kept in hospitals and medical offices.

This new medical record medium has effected a sea change on medical malpractice litigation in several respects. On one hand, electronic medical records (EMR) are more organized and eliminate difficulties in deciphering handwriting. Those minor benefits, however, pale in comparison to the potential for improper edits, alterations and deletions to the record.