Ethics in Healthcare on the Internet
"Organizations that provide health information on the Internet have a special and strong obligation to be trustworthy and to protect Website users' privacy”, (Health Management Technology, 2000).
Drafting a code to protect patient health information via the Internet addresses issues of patient information being disclosed without regard to patient privacy. Some of this information is only accessible to health care providers in organizations, while other information could be made public via the Internet. Organizations require access to records to review previous admissions, prior history, family history, etc. In order to accomplish the drafting of this code, delegates at the eHealth Ethics Summit (Health Management Technology, 2000) met in Washington, D.C. and expect to have the code finalized in the middle of May.
There are some issues that may surround ethics in healthcare on the Internet, such as: voyeurism, curiosity, and habit. Once access has been gained, one can be lead by the findings, such as, viewing photos of persons using drugs or engaging in sexual activity. We, as consumers, must be aware of how our private health information is being presented to viewers who have legitimate access and to those who have the ability to hack into private information.
In conclusion, since the Internet is changing the way people receive and give healthcare information-- patients, healthcare professionals, and researchers, must unite together to create a safe environment when using the Internet in seeking health care information.
"Organizations that provide health information on the Internet have a special and strong obligation to be trustworthy and to protect Website users' privacy”, (Health Management Technology, 2000).
Drafting a code to protect patient health information via the Internet addresses issues of patient information being disclosed without regard to patient privacy. Some of this information is only accessible to health care providers in organizations, while other information could be made public via the Internet. Organizations require access to records to review previous admissions, prior history, family history, etc. In order to accomplish the drafting of this code, delegates at the eHealth Ethics Summit (Health Management Technology, 2000) met in Washington, D.C. and expect to have the code finalized in the middle of May.
There are some issues that may surround ethics in healthcare on the Internet, such as: voyeurism, curiosity, and habit. Once access has been gained, one can be lead by the findings, such as, viewing photos of persons using drugs or engaging in sexual activity. We, as consumers, must be aware of how our private health information is being presented to viewers who have legitimate access and to those who have the ability to hack into private information.
In conclusion, since the Internet is changing the way people receive and give healthcare information-- patients, healthcare professionals, and researchers, must unite together to create a safe environment when using the Internet in seeking health care information.
Reference
Coalition Releases Draft eHealth Ethics Code. Health Management Technology, 21(4), 10. (2000). Computer Database.
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