Healthcare Informatic Assignment Question

Healthcare Informatic Assignment Question

Running Head: NUR 325 HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS 1

NUR 325 HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS 2

NUR 325 Healthcare Informatics.

Student’s Name:

Professor’s Name:

Date.

What is meant by the standard view of the appropriate use of medical information systems? Identify three key criteria for determining whether a particular use or user is appropriate.

The standard view of the appropriate use of medical information systems means that nurse informaticist have the moral responsibilities or mandate to utilize any computer-based information, programs, software, tools, or even applications responsibly. In standard view of the appropriate use of computer devices, it is required that the users must have undergone extensive and adequate training so as to have a better understanding of the devices or system’s capabilities or limitations. This will help them not to cancel their clinical judgment reflexively when utilizing computer-generated decision aids. Among the three main criteria that can be used in this case include;

1. Any computer-based software or program must be used in clinical services only after assessing its viability and the documentation that it meets required standards of performing the intended tasks at a cost-effective rate and time.

2. All the users of such programs must only qualified and competent healthcare professionals.

3. All uses of computer-based technology and informatics tools but be preceded by thorough training and provision of instructions on how such tools ought to be used or how they work (Goodman & Miller, 2021).

Can quality standards for system developers and maintainers simultaneously safeguard against error and abuse and stimulate scientific progress? Explain your answers. Why is there an ethical obligation to adhere to a standard of care?

In my view, quality standards for system developers and maintainers play an acritical role in ensuring that all configurations and functional systems within a program are correctly working. By so doing, they facilitate the proper functioning of systems and all other relevant control functions so that many errors associated with such programs or application software are minimized (Goodman & Miller, 2021). It must be understood that users of clinical applications, software, or other complex programs greatly depend on the quality of systems provided to them. Although system developers are not part of users of the healthcare systems or programs they sell to healthcare organizations, they play a more significant role in ensuring the success of the services provided by the users using such programs. Users depend on the system developers and maintenance teams as they are obliged to provide quality and standard programs that are not inclined to system errors and abuse. When systems are well developed with regard to the set standards, they not only eliminate any aspect of errors when used by informatics but also reduce the chances of system abuse.

System developers must impose obligations to the end-users but at the same time commits themselves to the adherence to reasonable and acceptable standards and perhaps acknowledge their moral responsibilities of continuous maintenance of systems and upgrades as required. Ethical responsibilities are necessary elements in the nursing field as they promote good values that in turn facilitate effective communication as well fair medical care. It also helps in making good judgments and decisions based on the existing nursing values, policies, and laws that govern the healthcare industry (Goodman & Miller, 2021).

Identify (a) two significant threats to patient confidentiality and (b) policies or strategies that you propose for protecting confidentiality against these threats.

From the common law of confidentiality, it can be argued that through its provisions and principles, any person who is guaranteed access or perhaps receives given information from another confidential party should not take advantage of that person. That person is not allowed by any law to use such information to victimize or prejudice whoever provided the same information (Goodman & Miller, 2021). In recent years there have been several concerns associated with adequate patient details maintenance without much compromise to the said data’s confidentiality and integrity. Increased use of technology and perhaps over-reliance on the use of technology in almost all aspects of human life have been the sole contributor to the rising threats to patient data confidentiality.

One of the threats that pose a lot of risks to patient confidentiality is the inappropriate release or sharing of patient’s information from individual organizations that harbor patients’ details (Goodman & Miller, 2021). This release can be either from authorized or untheorized people who unintentionally or intentionally access and share patient’s details against the set organizational rules and policies. Another critical threat to patient confidentiality is systemic threats which means that details of specific patients may be disclosed to parties that can act against the patient’s interests in question. In most cases, this type of threat occurs when there are many frequent healthcare data flows across various departments within healthcare organizational healthcare systems.

In order to curb such threats, it is advised that healthcare organizations ensure that there is regular training for the healthcare providers and other practitioners to on the essence of strict adherence to best practices and policies so as to reinforce essential skills and knowledge on the confidentiality requirement’s as well as refreshing staff with new expectations and responsibility (Goodman, Cushman, & Miller, 2013). Also, creating policies that are intertwined with confidentiality agreements will help reduce incidences of risks associated with the comptonization of patient confidentiality. In this case, a confidentiality agreement will help curb threats linked to patient’s privacy concerns and help to enlighten and specify to the healthcare providers which kind of information must be shared and which one should not be shared. Legal documentation of such rules, policies, and agreements will streamline services offered with respect to maintenance of standard level of patient privacy. Finally, it all healthcare organization need to put in place secure systems that will hold patient’s information in a more confidential way that will ensure there is integrity when certain functions are executed. Along with secure systems, it will be wise if only necessary and right personnel are allowed to access required data as per privacy and confidentiality policy provided in with healthcare organization (Goodman, Cushman, & Miller, 2013).

References

Goodman, K. W., Cushman, R., & Miller, R. A. (2013). Ethics in biomedical and health informatics: Users, standards, and outcomes. Biomedical Informatics, 329-353. doi:10.1007/978-1-4471-4474-8_10

Goodman, K. W., & Miller, R. A. (2021). Ethics in biomedical and health informatics: Users, standards, and outcomes. Biomedical Informatics, 391-423. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-58721-5_12

Masters, K. (2018). Health informatics ethics. Health Informatics: Practical Guide, 233-252. doi:10.32425/infoed/2018.1.11