Ethical Issues For People With Dementia And Electronic Medical Records

Some political members think the electronic medical records that will be used by all healthcare providers interchangeable are a violation of an individual privacy. “Studies have shown there are unintended consequences to EHRs that can actually cause an increase in medical errors. Two areas of concern risk management practitioners need to monitor and analyze are the effects of CPOE on nurse-physician communication and operational workflows (Cowan, L. 2013, p 29).” Therefore, from a risk management point of view computerize order provider entry has several ethical and legal

The objective of this study is to investigate safeguards and decision-making support tools embedded in patient care technologies and information systems to support a safe practice environment for both patients and healthcare workers. This work will additionally discuss the principles of data integrity, professional ethics, and legal requirements related to data security, regulatory requirements, confidentiality, and client's right to privacy. The scenario in this study involves emergency workers in Marin County, California are using the technology that involves QR codes or 'Quick Response' Codes to save lives in emergencies. Lifesquare has collaborated with two emergency response agencies in the county to conduct a year-long pilot program. Lifesquare wants residents to input personal information about their medications into its website and then place corresponding QR code stickers where emergency workers can find and scan them in the case of an emergency. These stickers are available from a local pharmacy. Another company, ID Amber has a Security Code printed on a tag, which can be scanned readily. Another company ScanMedQR.com, manufacturer of silicon bracelets, cards for wallets and necklaces that have QR codes on them that provide quick access to health records. The assumption in this study is that elderly neighbors have heard of pilot study yet have worries about the new technology. They have requested additional information about the technology

Even if you are not familiar with the medical world and all the privacy or ownership rules that are constantly forming, think of this in general terms. Invasion of privacy from the government listening in on your phone conversations, email, and so on. Think of the ways some companies break ethical rules by sharing our private information all over the web. An invasion of

There are three major ethical priorities for electronic health records: privacy and confidentiality, security, and data integrity and availability. The key to preserving confidentiality is making sure that only authorized individuals have access to information. The process of controlling access begins with authorizing users. The user’s access is based on pre-established, role-based privileges. Hence, designating user privileges is a critical aspect of medical record security: all users have access to the information they need to fulfill their roles and responsibilities, and they must know that they are accountable for use or misuse of the information they view and change.

According to the Alzheimer's Society diagnostic rates on average in the England are just under 48%, which despite being a two percent increase from 2012, means there are still around 416,000 people in England who are living with dementia but who are not diagnosed (Alzheimer's Society, 2014). In an effort to tackle dementia diagnosis the government in 2014 announced a £90 million package to improve services, which has lead to an increase in the number of referrals from primary care to memory assessment clinics (DoH, 2014). To meet the new demands on services it has becoming increasingly incumbent that psychologists and specialist nurses take on a new and active role in giving a diagnosis to their patients (Murphy & Gair, 2013; Page et al. 2008, & Griffths et al.

Ethical issues and the use of Personally Identifiable Information in computer systems, applications, and the internet.

How does the nurse/patient decide what is right and what is wrong when using health information technology (HIT)? Nurses face dilemmas resulting from HIT initiatives such as, from electronic health care (EHR). Ethical guidance can help safeguard both patients and providers when it comes to the increased use of digital information in health care. Nurses and patients alike, are seeing more information use in health care to make determinations about health populations and legislation. Technology is reshaping healthcare practices and because of this, nurses need to be competent in making ethical decisions about informatics technology (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2012).

Ethics is part of the decision making process that a nurse uses and is a foundation of nursing. Nursing needs ethical standards to rely on in order to provide quality care for patients and to keep them from harm while respecting their wishes (da Silva Santos, Cartaxo, & Buriti 2016). Ethics is defined as a guide, or a code, that given populations use to model behaviors (Finkelman & Kenner 2016). When referring to the nursing profession, ethics are the driving factor when considering what is right and wrong. The goal of ethics in nursing is to provide a means to support the decision making process of the patient. Nursing informatics will be specifically discussed as a resource for the purposes of this paper. Only peer-reviewed articles from professional journals were reviewed. The ethical dilemmas the author will present surround the use of informatics in technology and how they now arise in the medical profession, with nursing in particular. The nursing code of ethics addresses the issues of patient rights. The nursing code of ethics challenges the nurse to provide complete and accurate information in order to facilitate informed consent, while weighing the benefits, responsibilities, and options for treatment (ANA

Symptom management of Dementia at end of life is often sub-optimal, although symptom burdens may be similar to cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or advanced heart failure. Dementia may exist with several co-morbid conditions, and death may occur from various causes (Jones et al., 2015). Ethical issues arise in the work place a lot and they are something that can be hard to navigate your way around. Knowing what the right thing to do can be a hard decision to make as a nurse. There are many aspects that go into making an ethical decision when it comes to your patients well being. Ethical issues are not black and white, they are complex, and the right decision might not be the easiest one to make. Dementia is

Nonetheless, the number of people with dementia, has continued to expand at an exceptional rate. In considering this difficult ethical issue, it is worth remembering words stated by Brody "We seem to have forgotten the difference between people who die because they stop taking in food and water, and people who stop taking in food and water because of the natural dying process"(Brody, 2011). Healthcare professionals are essential when implementing and influencing nutritional care. It is important to note however that, as a society it is necessary to acquire the knowledge and understanding of dementia. The more we educate ourselves in how the brain process can impact the way we eat and drink, the better the practice and understanding we can

So,… My ethical dilemma is to decide whether to ask, or address, what might be very early signs of dementia with my dad. I’ve known him for a long time now and I’m not sure if little signs like telling the same stories over again are really signs of this (I do the same thing sometimes, I forget who I told what or when I told them, hopefully I don’t have dementia…), or if they are just normal tendencies and possibly a sign of not seeing each other as much as we did in the past. I mentioned during his last visit that pretty soon he would be able to hide his own Easter eggs and it did not go over well. Is he worried about the same thing? What have my parents talked about with each other without telling me?

Besides, the gadgets allow an easy accessibility of information such as latest guidelines. However, the practice may be disruptive and therefore hinders the performance of the nurses. Besides, the privacy of the patients may be compromised and therefore promoting unethical performance. One of the ethical principles guiding the practice is upholding privacy and confidentiality of the patients.  The relationship between the nurse and the patients may be compromised if the patients learn later how the nurse breached the confidentiality principles (Norman et al.

The electronic record although it is based on an evolving concept oriented philosophy that provides improved healthcare quality, the patient should not deny the “right” of the medical professional to be informed when needed and to safeguard this. For this reason, it is necessary to establish an appropriate legislative framework so that all the necessary procedures and actions to be taken conform to the law as it applies locally and in the European Union. Such considerations include electronic processing and collection of personal data of the citizen, and the movement both within their state borders and cross-border. Because of prejudgment that might arise in the patient, there is a great chance not to disclose some important and necessary information

The first principle is that with very few exceptions, health care information about a consumer should be disclosed for health purposes only. The information should be easy to use for those purposes, and very difficult to use otherwise. The second principle is that technical security safeguards be maintained for computerized data. Including audit trails that identify who accessed the data and the prosecution against anyone who used the records for illegal or improper purposes. The third principle is consumer access. The patient should have ability to access his or her records and know others that also have access to them. Patients should be aware of the laws, regulations, and policies that protect their information. The fourth policy is defined as accountability, which is of relation to security and consumer control. Fines and imprisonment are required to those who breach security of personal health information. The final policy is public responsibility. Legislation must be balanced between personal, private interests and national priorities of public health, research, and law enforcement. The excessive flow of information, without patient authorization, is essential to the immediate discovery and investigation in public health crisis. AHIMA's acknowledgement of these five principles are abroad outline of a sensible public policy that balances personal privacy

Use of computers poses a new challenge for privacy. Privacy is a state of mind, specific place freedom from intrusion or control over the exposure of self of personal information (Czar, 2013). In this day and age, many new rules come into play on how to protect the privacy of the patient. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the importance of ethical use and the unethical issues faced with the use of technology, as well as the impact of specific and a broad range legislation on information technology.