Ethical Issues In Medical Research
Discovery Question
Technological advancement has been credited for many of the breakthroughs in medical science. On the other hand, it has also been argued that technology has created or exacerbated bioethical connundra.
o What is wrong with thinking about health information technology as merely material objects? o What are some of the ethical issues attendant to health informatics? What kinds of moral/ethical dilemmas arise in this field? o What are/should be the requisite standards of moral character for health informaticians, and do current professional guidelines and codes adequately address them?
The role that technology plays changes as much as the technology itself. This is because technology and the users interact with one another …show more content…
HIT differs from many other technological industries due to the impact that this technology has on patient care, ranging from information that is used to make medical decisions to procedures that are performed. In recent years, ethical issues that have been raised include how information is stored in EHRs and other systems, as well as how it is shared and utilized. Patient information must be kept confidential in order to protect the privacy of patients. As Anderson and Goodman (2002) explain, these ethical concerns are related to the increased access to and possible subsequent disclosure of patient …show more content…
Many of these standards are related to patient privacy, as “Informatics ethics covers seven principles: privacy, openness, security, access, legitimate infringement, least intrusive alternatives, and accountability” (Samuel & Zaïane, 2014, p. 3). As the IMIA (2011) explains, since the HIT field is constantly evolving, ethics standards also need to be flexible to account for changes so they focus more on the relationship between the HIT professional and other individuals they interact with, such as healthcare providers, patient, insurance companies,
Technological advancement has been credited for many of the breakthroughs in medical science. On the other hand, it has also been argued that technology has created or exacerbated bioethical connundra.
o What is wrong with thinking about health information technology as merely material objects? o What are some of the ethical issues attendant to health informatics? What kinds of moral/ethical dilemmas arise in this field? o What are/should be the requisite standards of moral character for health informaticians, and do current professional guidelines and codes adequately address them?
The role that technology plays changes as much as the technology itself. This is because technology and the users interact with one another …show more content…
HIT differs from many other technological industries due to the impact that this technology has on patient care, ranging from information that is used to make medical decisions to procedures that are performed. In recent years, ethical issues that have been raised include how information is stored in EHRs and other systems, as well as how it is shared and utilized. Patient information must be kept confidential in order to protect the privacy of patients. As Anderson and Goodman (2002) explain, these ethical concerns are related to the increased access to and possible subsequent disclosure of patient …show more content…
Many of these standards are related to patient privacy, as “Informatics ethics covers seven principles: privacy, openness, security, access, legitimate infringement, least intrusive alternatives, and accountability” (Samuel & Zaïane, 2014, p. 3). As the IMIA (2011) explains, since the HIT field is constantly evolving, ethics standards also need to be flexible to account for changes so they focus more on the relationship between the HIT professional and other individuals they interact with, such as healthcare providers, patient, insurance companies,