1) Some issues related to the ethics of technology, patient privacy, and confidentiality are that in order for healthcare to evolve and become better at diagnosing patients and improving quality of technology there are companies that provide products, technical support and they enroll patients in clinical trials. So in this aspect there is information transferred to other people, but confidentiality is "maintained" according to law. A negative aspect on this topic is that there are people in the many different fields that can look up private information on a patient's history even if they are not involved in the patient's care.
2) Why should nurses care about the impact of e-waste?
E-waste is an electronic device that has been discarded by the original owner for re-use by another individual. We as nurses, have little or no control of information that is held on file. We have the capability of deleting information however, some computers, laptops, and handheld devices can be recycled by companies for reuse. This may allow any private information to be re-accessed.
3) Nurses apply principles of HIPAA to the utilization of technology/wireless devices in clinical practices by logging off after each documentation is complete. Also, frequently updating with new passwords will prevent non-medical personnel from accessing the files.
4) As health care professionals, all teams need to express their views concerning each patient by reviewing information together and collaborating important data to increase the quality of care.
5) Technology has increased patient progress, and increased life by using ventilators, EKG's, dialysis, etc. This increase in technology assists in prolonging life even though the outcome may not positively affect the quality of an individual's life.
6) There are several nursing tasks that computers should never be permitted to perform. One in particular is a patient assessment. An accurate patient assessment in the beginning and throughout a nurse's shift is essential to a patient's care and should require hands on involvement. Also, nurses must always remember that computers are capable of making a critical judgment that will negatively impact the patient's progress. One computer task that is performed on my unit is a continuous insulin drip called the "Yale Protocol". An excel spreadsheet calculates how much the drip should run each hour based on the blood glucose level. Many times the spreadsheet will provide an answer that in reality would be an unsafe dose of insulin to administer to the patient.
7 ) Promotional activities influence product selection by showing flashy advertisements, "happy people" from the outcome, and boosting facility outlook. Many times advertisements fabricate the positive outcomes and do not emphasize any negative side affects.
Over the next following weeks I hope to elaborate on each of these topics for everyone enjoying my blog !
