Nursing and Health Care Informatics Ethics and the Law

A nurse leader sought to implement greater security in the children’s wing of the hospital by installing a new alarm and monitoring system. Due to budget constraints, the CNO rejected the proposal, stating that current security methods were sufficient. Shortly after this failed proposal, an individual did in fact breach the children’s wing security and abducted a young child. Thankfully, the child was found and returned to her parents; and the CNO quickly found the money to install the new security system.

Not all HIT projects have such high-profile stakes. The main takeaway from this example is the importance of getting key stakeholders and decision makers on board when planning a new HIT project.

Bring to mind a HIT project implemented in your organization. Which leaders identified the project? Which stakeholders and decision makers helped moved the project forward?
Consider methods that were used to garner the support of stakeholders and decision makers to move the project forward.
TITLE: HIT Projects and Decision Makers – 1 page APA 6th Edition 2 references
1. Describe an example of a HIT project implemented at your organization and analyze how that project was identified and moved forward.
2. Evaluate the impact of key decision makers on moving the HIT project forward.
“Whatever, in connection with my professional service, or not in connection with it, I see or hear, in the life of men, which ought not to be spoken of abroad, I will not divulge, as reckoning that all such should be kept secret.”
—Confidentiality excerpt from the Hippocratic Oath (as cited in Croll, 2010)
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 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. DNP-prepared nurses need to be aware of ethical issues surrounding the use of patient information, technology, and the respective liabilities.

Reference:
Croll, P. (2010). Privacy, security and access with sensitive health information. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 151, 167–175.

To prepare:
• focus 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 IMIA Code of Ethics.
• Consider the legal aspects of your ethical issue and the steps that could be taken to avoid or minimize risk.
1. Describe your selected ethical issue.
2. Analyze the potential liabilities that this issue poses to the organization by referencing the IMIA Code of Ethics.
Formulate strategies that the organization could implement to address the ethical issue.

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