Nursing and Health Care Informatics Ethics and the Law

Traditional schools of medicine have a ritual of reciting oath excerpts such as the one above during their graduation ceremonies. Such excerpts usually revolve around a professional’s promise to uphold the ideals of patient safety and confidentiality to the best of his or her ability.
 

With the continued integration of Health Information Technology (HIT), and advances in technology such as hand-held computers, new ethical considerations have evolved within health care settings. For example, wireless capabilities can provide easier access to information from unauthorized outside parties. While technological advances have led to improvements in health care, they have also created new vulnerabilities. Doctorally prepared nurses need to be aware of ethical issues surrounding the use of patient information, technology, and the respective liabilities


To prepare:

  • Reflect      on this week’s Learning Resources, focusing on the ethical and legal      issues associated with usage of data and health information.
  • For      this Discussion, identify an ethical issue related to data collection or      information management at your organization or one with which you are      familiar.
  • Determine      the potential liabilities that this ethical issue presents by reviewing      the AMIA Code of Ethics.
  • Consider      the legal aspects of your ethical issue and the steps that could be taken      to avoid or minimize risk.