Health records and current technology evolve at a high rate. The use of smart cards has an enormous impact on healthcare records and nursing practice. The quick evolution of this sector poses a threat to the skills and changes of adaptation required by medical personnel. Implementation of the use of smart cards and electronic health records is an expensive endeavor. The acquisition and maintenance cost of computer systems is also very expensive. Setting up the computers to consistently communicate with each other requires sophisticated hardware and software. The existing medical databases are susceptible to hacking, thus risking the privacy of patients’ information.

There are many applications of smart cards in the health care sectors that are used to meet the privacy requirements of healthcare systems. Protecting an individual’s healthcare information is a primary concern for healthcare practitioners and patients (Smart Card Alliance).

Biometrics in medical healthcare systems increases the confidentiality and security of patient information. The cost of managing a variety of passwords is significantly reduced. Earlier on, medical books were issued to patients and this posed a privacy concern to family members and relatives. Patients desire their health information to be between them and the physician. Biometrics provides the security of information that is kept away from unwanted family members.

Smart cards not only can be beneficial to each individual person but also to the hospitals and care providers.  Smart cards offer a valid platform to implement applications that tend to improve access to important medical care. Smart cards ensure that healthcare practitioners have linked IDs that offers secure access to private information. Because of this, important and private data cannot be leaked to hackers and unauthorized people.

Similarly, information can be accessed and updated by healthcare professionals. The use of smart cards facilitates ease of verifying patient’s data that allows instant access to the information needed. The use of smart cards can also help prevent errors that may arise due to misinformation and lack of communication between health care providers.