Electronic Signatures in Healthcare: Why Your Clinic Can't Keep Signing on Paper

Every day, in clinics and hospitals throughout Latin America, thousands of documents are signed: medical reports, informed consents, prescriptions, laboratory orders, insurance contracts, and committee minutes. The majority of these signatures are still done on paper, which involves printing, physical distribution, storage, and — in many cases — loss of the original document. Electronic signatures are here to solve all of this, and regulations in the region already support them.

What Is an Electronic Signature and How Does It Differ from a Digital Signature?

Before diving deeper, it's important to clarify a common confusion:

• Simple electronic signature: Any electronic data that identifies the signer. It can be a PIN, a biometric signature on a tablet, or a click of acceptance. It is legally valid in most contexts.
• Advanced electronic signature: Uniquely linked to the signer, it allows detection of any subsequent modification to the document. It uses digital certificates issued by authorized entities.
• Digital signature: A specific type of advanced electronic signature that uses public key cryptography and certificates issued by a recognized certification authority. It has the highest level of legal validity.

For the clinical context, the advanced electronic signature covers the vast majority of use cases, offering an optimal balance between security, ease of use, and legal validity.

Use Cases in the Healthcare Sector

Electronic signatures are not limited to a single type of document. In a clinic or healthcare center, their applications are broad:

Medical Reports and Results

The radiologist signs their report from the workstation, the lab technician signs results directly in the system. There is no printing, no delay, no risk of subsequent alteration. The signed document is sealed with a timestamp and is fully traceable.

Informed Consent

The patient signs the consent form on a tablet before the procedure. The document is automatically linked to their electronic health record, with date, time, and signer identification. The risk of lost or unsigned consents is eliminated.

Medical Prescriptions

An electronically signed prescription allows the patient to present it at any pharmacy without the need for physical paper. In Peru, Colombia, Mexico, Chile, and Brazil, regulations already recognize the validity of signed electronic prescriptions.

Service Orders and Authorizations

Laboratory orders, imaging requests, and internal authorizations are signed electronically, accelerating approval workflows and eliminating the bottlenecks caused by paper.

Concrete Benefits for Your Clinic

Operational Savings

The cost of printing, distributing, storing, and managing paper documents is significantly higher than most administrators estimate. Paper, toner, filing cabinets, physical space, staff dedicated to filing, and document courier between sites represent a recurring expense that is eliminated with electronic signatures.

• Up to 80% reduction in printing and paper costs.
• Freed-up physical space previously occupied by document archives.
• Elimination of courier costs for transporting documents between sites.

Workflow Speed

A report that previously took hours to be printed, signed, scanned, and distributed is now signed in seconds and is immediately available to all authorized parties. This directly impacts care turnaround times and patient satisfaction.

Security and Traceability

Every electronic signature includes:

• Verified identity of the signer.
• Timestamp certifying the exact moment of signing.
• Document integrity: Any subsequent modification invalidates the signature, protecting against tampering.
• Complete audit trail showing who signed what, when, and from where.

Regulatory Compliance

Legislation regarding electronic signatures is advancing rapidly in the region:

• Peru: Law 27269 on Digital Signatures and Certificates.
• Colombia: Law 527 on Electronic Commerce and Decree 2364 on Electronic Signatures.
• Mexico: Commercial Code and the Advanced Electronic Signature Law.
• Chile: Law 19.799 on Electronic Documents and Electronic Signatures.
• Brazil: Provisional Measure 2.200-2 establishing the ICP-Brasil framework.

Healthcare institutions that adopt electronic signatures not only comply with these regulations but also position themselves for future regulatory requirements that will inevitably demand the elimination of paper.

Myths That Slow Adoption

"Patients won't accept signing on a tablet." Experience shows the opposite. Patients perceive electronic signatures as a sign of modernity and professionalism. The adoption curve is almost immediate.

"It won't hold up in court." An advanced electronic signature has the same legal validity as a handwritten signature. Moreover, it provides stronger evidence: it includes a timestamp, verified identity, and proof of document integrity.

"It's too expensive to implement." Current SaaS solutions allow electronic signature implementation with per-transaction costs or monthly subscriptions, without infrastructure investment. The savings on paper and printing offset the cost from the very first month.

Conclusion

Electronic signatures in healthcare are not a technological luxury — they are a tool that reduces costs, accelerates processes, improves legal security, and elevates service quality. Every document your clinic continues to sign on paper is an unnecessary cost, a risk of loss, and an avoidable delay.

At Davix, we integrate electronic signatures directly into the clinical and administrative workflows of our platform. Reports, consents, prescriptions, and orders are signed with a single click, without leaving the system, with full legal validity. It's time to leave paper behind.