Modern clinics are increasingly committed to reducing paper usage and adopting solutions that bring agility and security to their daily operations. In a sector where the accuracy and legality of information are fundamental, relying on tools that digitize processes is more than a matter of convenience—it's a necessity.
Despite this, many doubts still exist among healthcare professionals about what constitutes an electronic signature, what a digital signature is, and the validity of each in a clinical context. In this article, we will cover how electronic and digital signatures work in health clinics.
Before we continue, we need to ask: Are you already familiar with Ninsaúde Clinic? Ninsaúde Clinic is a medical software with an agile and complete schedule, electronic medical records with legal validity, teleconsultation, financial control and much more. Schedule a demonstration or try Ninsaúde Clinic right now!
Electronic Signature vs. Digital Signature: What's the Difference?
An electronic signature is any type of validation that confirms the identity of the person signing a digital document, without requiring a digital certificate. It can include the use of passwords, access codes, biometrics, among others.
A digital signature, on the other hand, is a specific type of electronic signature that uses a digital certificate (A1 or A3) issued by a certification authority to guarantee the document's authenticity and integrity.
Both have legal validity under legislation like that in Brazil, but they are used in different contexts. While the electronic signature is more flexible and easier to apply, the digital signature offers a higher level of security and is required for sensitive medical documents, such as health records and prescriptions.
What Can Be Signed with Each Type?
With a clear distinction, the practical application becomes easier to understand. The choice of signature type depends on the level of risk and the legal requirements for the document in question.
Documents for Electronic Signature (Simple or Advanced):
This type is ideal for low-risk documents and internal processes that require consent and registration but not complex forensic validation. Examples include:
- Registration and anamnesis forms: The patient can fill out and sign them on a tablet at the reception desk.
- Informed Consent Forms (ICF): For simple procedures and general authorizations.
- Service agreements: Financial and treatment agreements with patients.
- Image use authorizations.
- Appointment confirmations and clinic policies.
Using an electronic contract with an electronic signature in a clinic drastically speeds up the patient intake process, eliminating the need for printing, physical filing, and subsequent scanning.
Documents Requiring a Digital Signature (Qualified):
A digital signature in healthcare is mandatory for all documents with evidentiary value that are regulated by bodies such as the Federal Council of Medicine (CFM) in Brazil. The requirement for a certificate from a recognized public key infrastructure (like ICP-Brasil) ensures maximum legal security. The main examples are:
- Electronic Health Record (EHR): Each and every entry in the health record must be digitally signed by the responsible professional.
- Medical prescriptions: Especially those for controlled substances.
- Medical certificates: To have undeniable legal validity.
- Exam reports: The signature guarantees the authorship and integrity of the diagnosis.
- Requests for complex exams.
Legal Validity and Data Security
The legal validity of signatures is robust. For instance, Brazilian Law No. 14,063/2020 modernized the subject, classifying electronic signatures into three levels: simple, advanced, and qualified (the digital signature with a certificate). The law grants validity to all, but the "qualified" signature is mandatory for government acts and specific situations, such as those determined by medical councils for medical documents.
Regulatory bodies, like Brazil's CFM, require that a digitally signed health record use a recognized certificate to ensure its legal equivalence to a paper record. Furthermore, the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and similar laws like Brazil's LGPD play a central role. By using secure signatures, especially digital ones, the clinic demonstrates compliance, protecting sensitive health data and ensuring that only authorized personnel can access and make duly registered changes.
Security technologies such as encryption, IP address logging, and timestamps are the tools that support this validity, creating a secure audit trail for every document.
The Role of the Digital Signature in Validating the Electronic Health Record
An electronic health record without a proper digital signature is, legally, just an informal record. For it to have legal validity and be usable in audits, legal proceedings, or as an official patient history, it must be a digitally signed record.
The signature with a Digital Certificate (types A1 or A3) is what "seals" each entry. It ensures that the note made by Dr. John at 10:05 AM was not altered by anyone later. If any slight change is made, the signature is invalidated, exposing the breach. This protects both the patient, who is assured of a trustworthy history, and the healthcare professional, who is safeguarded against accusations of record tampering.
Electronic Signatures on Forms and Contracts: Practicality with Reliability
In the daily clinic routine, various administrative documents require the signature of patients and guardians. The electronic signature simplifies this process without sacrificing legal validity.
For example, consent for surgical procedures can be signed electronically directly on a tablet, capturing the visual signature and recording data such as IP address and location. Additionally, treatment plan agreements, terms of service, and anamnesis forms also benefit from this practicality.
Reliability comes from traceability, which allows for proving who signed, when, and from where. This provides legal backing in case of disputes or audits.
How Ninsaúde Sign Facilitates Signature Collection in the Clinic
Management systems like Ninsaúde Clinic already incorporate these functionalities. With the Ninsaúde Sign tool, the clinic can automate the sending of documents for electronic signature.
Key features include:
- Automatic sending of documents via email
- Signature collection via tablet or smartphone at the reception
- Direct storage in the health record or financial module
- Sending a signed copy to the patient
The patient signs on their own device, a copy is sent to them, and the original is archived and integrated into the patient's health record and financial profile within the system.
Digital Signature with A1 Certificate Integrated into Ninsaúde Clinic
For qualified digital signatures, integration is even more crucial. Ninsaúde Clinic allows the healthcare professional to use their A1 Digital Certificate (which is installed on the server or in the cloud) to sign documents directly on the platform with just a few clicks.
When finalizing a report or a prescription, the system prompts for validation with the certificate. This eliminates the need to constantly use USB tokens (A3 Certificates), bringing fluidity to the medical workflow without compromising the maximum security required by regulatory bodies.
Benefits of Digital and Electronic Signatures in Clinic Management
Adopting digital and electronic signatures goes far beyond a cosmetic modernization. The gains are real and directly impact the clinic's productivity and security:
- Cost Reduction: Savings on paper, printing, toner, and especially on physical storage space.
- Agility in Service: Registration and consent processes are completed in minutes, reducing waiting time at the reception.
- Legal Security: Full compliance with current legislation (e.g., LGPD, GDPR, HIPAA), minimizing legal risks.
- Document Organization: All documents are stored digitally in a centralized, secure, and easily searchable manner.
- Time Optimization: The administrative staff and healthcare professionals spend less time on bureaucracy and more time on what truly matters: the patient.
Professionals and managers who adopt this practice report significant improvements in service efficiency and patient satisfaction.
A Modern Clinic is a Paperless Clinic
The digitization of processes in health clinics is an irreversible path. Electronic and digital signatures, in addition to being accessible, provide security, agility, and legal compliance. Solutions like Ninsaúde Clinic and Ninsaúde Sign show that it is possible to integrate these technologies into the daily clinical routine with ease.
By investing in tools that reduce paper usage and automate tasks, your clinic gains more than productivity: it gains time, organization, and trust. The future of healthcare management is in your hands—and it's digital.
Did you like the information? Then get ready for a continuous journey of knowledge by following our blog. Are you a healthcare professional and still don't know the benefits of Ninsaúde Clinic? Stay ahead, optimize your processes, and elevate the excellence of your patient care!
Liked the information? Then prepare for a continuous journey of knowledge by following our blog. Are you a health professional and not yet familiar with the benefits of Ninsaúde Clinic? Stay ahead, optimize your processes, and elevate excellence in patient care!