Nursing and Health Care Informatics Ethics and the Law "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 Health Information Technology (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. Doctorally 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: Reflect      on this week’s Learning Resources, focusing 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 AMIA Code of Ethics. Consider      the legal aspects of your ethical issue and the steps that could be taken      to avoid or minimize risk. By tomorrow Wednesday 09/27/17, 12 pm, write a minimum of 550 words essay in APA format with a minimum of 3 references from the list in the instructions area. Include the level one headings as numbered below: post a cohesive response that addresses the following: 1) Describe your selected ethical issue (example of ethical issues in nursing Informatics are: Ethical Use of Genomic Information and Electronic Medical Records, Alarm Fatigue, Privacy, Confidentiality, and Data Sharing ). Choose one! 2) Analyze the potential liabilities that this issue poses to the organization by referencing the AMIA Code of Ethics. 3) Formulate strategies that the organization could implement to address the ethical issue. Required Readings Course Text: American Nurses Association. (2008). Nursing informatics: Scope and standards of practice. Silver Spring, MD: Author. "Ethics in Nursing Informatics" (p. 49-52) This page of the text introduces three common ethical codes used in health care today. Croll, P. (2010). Pr.

1. Nursing and Health Care Informatics Ethics and the Law
"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 Health Information
Technology (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.
Doctorally prepared nurses need to be aware of ethical issues
surrounding the use of patient information, technology, and the
respective liabilities.

2. Reference:
Croll, P. (2010). Privacy, security and access with sensitive
health information.
Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 151,
167–175.
To prepare:
Reflect on this week’s Learning Resources, focusing 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 AMIA Code of Ethics.
Consider the legal aspects of your ethical issue and the steps
that could be taken to avoid or minimize risk.
By tomorrow Wednesday 09/27/17, 12 pm, write a minimum of
550 words essay in APA format with a minimum of 3 references
from the list in the instructions area. Include the level one
headings as numbered below:
post
a cohesive response that addresses the following:

3. 1) Describe your selected ethical issue (example of ethical
issues in nursing Informatics are:
Ethical Use of Genomic Information and Electronic Medical
Records, Alarm Fatigue, Privacy, Confidentiality, and Data
Sharing
). Choose one!
2) Analyze the potential liabilities that this issue poses to the
organization by referencing the AMIA Code of Ethics.
3) Formulate strategies that the organization could implement to
address the ethical issue.
Required Readings
Course Text: American Nurses Association. (2008). Nursing
informatics: Scope and standards of practice. Silver Spring,
MD: Author.
"Ethics in Nursing Informatics" (p. 49-52)
This page of the text introduces three common ethical codes
used in health care today.
Croll, P. (2010). Privacy, security and access with sensitive
health information. Studies in Health Technology and
Informatics, 151, 167-175.
The author proposes a model for controlling the security of

4. health information networks and systems.
Hjort, B. (2007). AHIMA report addresses evolving role of
health care privacy and security officers. Journal of Health Care
Compliance, 9(3), 47-68.
This article identifies the challenges and responsibilities of
health care workers employed in privacy and security positions.
Layman, E. J. (2008). Ethical issues and the electronic health
record. The Health Care Manager, 27(2), 165-176.
The findings within this article provide recommendations for
health personnel, leaders, and policy makers when attempting to
design ethically sound electronic health records.
Mackenzie, G., & Carter, H. (2010). Medico legal issues.
Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 151, 176-182.
Within this article, the authors provide an overview of the legal
issues, precautions, and potential breaches that surround the
privacy and security of electronic patient records
O'Keefe-McCarthy, S. (2009). Technologically-mediated
nursing care: The impact on moral agency. Nursing Ethics,
16(6), 786-796.
Examine technology's ability to negatively affect the
patient/nurse relationship as decisions are based more on data
and less on emotional and pedagogical reasoning by referencing
the material found in this article.

5. Withrow, S. C. (2010). How to avoid a HIPAA horror story.
Healthcare Financial Management, 64(8), 82-88.
The HIPAA horror story that is detailed here underlines the
importance of adopting HIPAA privacy and security provisions
in efforts to reduce potential violations and financial threats.
California HealthCare Foundation. (2011).
Retrieved from http://www.chcf.org/
The California HealthCare Foundation outlines quality reform
plans that improve efficiency and reduce cost for California's
patients.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2010). CMS EHR
meaningful use overview
.
https://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms/30_Meaningful_U
se.asp
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services defines the
term meaningful use and also its view of meaningful use
criteria, requirements, and financial impact.
American Nurses Association. (2011). Ethics and human rights.
Retrieved from
http://nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/HealthcareandPoli
cyIssues/ANAPositionStatements/EthicsandHumanRights.aspx

6. See this website to view position statement documents
developed by the ANA to promote adherence to ethics and
human rights.
Healthcare Information and Management Systems. (2011).
Privacy & security toolkit.
Retrieved from http://www.himss.org/ASP/topics_pstoolkit.asp
At this website, you will find a categorized tool kit that consists
of implementation plans, legislation, and case studies to help
health care professionals better understand matters of privacy
and security.
The American Medical Informatics Association. (2014).
Retrieved from http://www.amia.org/about-amia/ethics
At this website, you will find an American Medical Informatics
Code of Ethics for Healthcare Professionals.
Required Media
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2011).
Transforming nursing and healthcare through technology:
Healthcare informatics: Ethics and law.
Baltimore, MD: Author.
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 10 minutes.

7. In this week's media presentation, Dr. Don Detmer gives his
insights on the government's initiatives to create secure and
meaningful electronic health records.