There is often a misconception that paper is more secure and easier to manage for organizations. But this simply is not true. Paper forms can easily be mishandled, lost, damaged or simply inaccessible during an emergency. They also can be incomplete, illegible or out-of-date, meaning organizations do not have the right data to provide to medical responders in a crisis.
Benefits of ePACT over paper emergency forms include:
- Security. Paper forms can be lost, misplaced or stored insecurely. In ePACT, information is stored more securely and encrypted at the highest levels. Organizations can limit access and ensure that your data is only accessed when needed and only by those who have the authority to view it.
- Efficiency. Paper forms means the same information needs to be completed for each program and can be difficult to update. Using ePACT, you enter information only once and you can quickly log in to make any changes. As the information is live, your connected organizations will gain access to this new information immediately.
- Redundancy of information. In many emergencies, paper forms can easily be damaged or destroyed, or will become inaccessible if stored in a location that is affected. ePACT ensures organizations never lose access to this critical information, regardless of the circumstances. If the internet is available, they can securely log from any device. If no internet is available, they can still access this data in offline mode on their mobile devices and can still print paper copies as an additional redundancy.
- Greater support from family members and emergency contacts. Using paper forms means that families add information for emergency contacts, but are also responsible to alert them and update their contact information. Using ePACT, contacts can be emailed with the system so they already know their responsibilities and can verify their information is up-to-date.
- Quality. Using paper forms often means that the forms are incomplete, illegible and can fall out of date quickly. Using ePACT means health records are uniform- information is clear, complete and easy to read so organizations can best support your family in any type of emergency. This can be critical when there is an urgent medical situation- if a member has a severe allergy for example. If the form is incomplete or illegible- organizations can not provide medical responders with the information they need.
- Reduction in paper waste. Although forms can be printed as redundancy, using electronic forms means less paper is printed and photocopied. Families can always see what data the organization has by simply logging into ePACT, so no need to complete duplicate forms to have a copy.