2 NURSING INFORMATICS
RESPECT FOR OTHERS
Ethical Aspects of Informatics
• Ethics - Fundamental standards of right and wrong
BENEFICENCE
The Principle of Beneficence
• Requires that the procedure be provided with the intent of
doing good for the patient involved.
• Demands that health care providers develop and maintain
skills and knowledge, continually update training, consider
individual circumstances of all pts, and strive for net benefit.
• Patient's welfare as the first consideration
• All healthcare providers must strive to improve their
patient's health, to do the most good for the patient in
every situation.
• What is good for one patient may not be good for another,
so each situation should be considered individually.
VERACITY
• Telling the truth
• Honesty in disclosure is essential at all levels of professional
practice.
REMEMBER!
Patients have a right to know about the existence of their electronic
records and how they will be used.
Moral principles– Veracity
• It refers to telling the truth
• Although it seems straightforward, in practice choices are
not always clear. Does a nurse tell the truth when it is known
that it will cause harm? Does a nurse tell a lie when it is
known that the lie will relieve anxiety and fear?
• Lying to sick or dying people is rarely justified
REPRESENTATION OF CREDENTIALS
• Professional qualifications include:
– Abilities
– Training
– Certification
– Relevant professional experience
REMEMBER!
Professionals should not "pad" their resumes by overstating their
education, experience, or capabilities.
Professionals should only report continuing education units that are
actually earned, and should correct any inaccuracies
WHISTLEBLOWING
• Professionals have the duty to report any malpractice
committed by their colleagues.
• This can cause conflict with feelings of loyalty
• May result in retaliation by the concerned colleague:
– Snubs by co-workers
– Loss of promotions or raises
– Physical and psychological assault
• Process of Whistleblowing
Phase 1 – Observation of wrongdoing
Phase 2 – Whistleblowing act on observed wrongdoing
Phase 3 – Consequences of whistleblowing act
REMEMBER!
There are laws that may protect whistleblowers
RESPONDING TO UNETHICAL PRACTICES
• "Health informatics professionals will refrain from impugning
the reputation of colleagues but will report to the
appropriate authority any unprofessional conduct by a
colleague." (IMIA Code of Ethics, 2011)
• "A health information professional shall take adequate
measures to discourage, prevent, expose, and correct the
unethical conduct of colleagues." (AHIMA Code of Ethics,
2011)
fcnlxa – St. Luke’s College of Nursing
• Includes the client's right for self-determination
• Sensitivity to cultural, religious and lifestyle diversity
transcend respectful nursing practice.
CONFIDENTIALITY
• Patients have a right to have their personal information
kept secret from all other people, except those that are
giving the care.
PRIVACY
• Patients' right to control how their health Information is
used, and when and whether it is disclosed.
HEALTH DATA PRIVACY
REMEMBER!
Privacy is the top guiding ethical principle for health informatics
professionals. (American Health Information Management
Association (AHIA) and International Medical Informatics Association
(IMIA))
SECURITY
• Patient's right to have their information protected from
being inappropriately accessed by others.
B. ETHICAL DUTIES OF HEALTH INFORMATICS PROFESSIONALS
CODE OF ETHICS
• Principles based on the organization's core values and the
standards to which the professional is held.
• How professionals are supposed to act and approach
problems.
ETHICAL DUTIES OF HEALTH INFORMATICS PROFESSIONALS
• Represent credentials accurately.
• Protect patient privacy, including confidentiality and
security
• Respect patients and co-workers
• Respond to unethical practices by others
2011 IMIA* CODE OF ETHICS
• Provide informatics services necessary for healthcare
professionals to carry out their obligations
• Provide timely and secure access to relevant electronic
records
• Ensure the usability, integrity, and highest possible technical
quality of the records
• REMEMBER!
It is an obligation of professionals to advocate for laws
about protecting patients’ health information
• Professionals should:
– Provide best data security measures
– Maintain the highest possible qualitative standards of
data collection, storage, retrieval, processing,
accessing, communication, and utilization
– Practice appropriate systems for evaluating the
technical, legal, and ethical acceptability of the data
CODE OF ETHICS OF AMIA*
• Ensure that patient data is maintained in a safe, reliable
manner.
• Never use patients' data for outside purposes.
• Treat the data of all patients with equal respect.
CONSEQUENCES OF ETHICS BREAKDOWNS
• Could cause harm to patients
• Erosion of trust and voluntary participation
• Patients withhold or oppose information
• Damage to reputation
• Legal liability
• Costly data-recovery procedures
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