Author Question: The nurses are discussing ethical issues in relation to nursing informatics. Which of the following ... (Read 107 times)

nramada · **on:** Jul 8, 2018

The nurses are discussing ethical issues in relation to nursing informatics. Which of the following ethical issues might develop as a result of nursing informatics? Select all that apply.

1. The Medical Records Department employee informed one of his friends about a hospitalized client's address. The house was burglarized while the client was hospitalized.
2. The insurance company denied coverage to a client due to an undiagnosed pre-existing condition. The insurance company deduced that the client had diabetes mellitus after the client's glucose levels were consistently above 140 mg/dL during hospitalization.
3. A computer hacker stole information from the hospital's computerized billing system and used the information to obtain a credit card in a client's name.
4. The client's sister-in-law is an employee in the laboratory at the hospital, and discovered that the client had been admitted. The employee told the client's brother about the admission and specific laboratory results that indicated that the client was HIV-positive.
5. The information from the client's admission was used in research by the nurse manager to reduce the unit's average length of stay and increase quality of care.

Question 2

The health care organization's computers have not been linked via networks in the appropriate manner, and do not transmit timely data well between users or easily between networks.

Which of the following statements indicates a real consequence of this type of system?
1. I have had to enter the information about suctioning my client in three different places in the documentation system.
2. I think this electronic health record is no longer a legal document.
3. The security of the personal health information in the system is poor.
4. This computer system will no longer flag drug allergies for the client.

1_Step_At_ATime · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 8, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Answer: 1; 2; 3; 4

Rationale:
The Medical Records Department employee informed one of his friends about a hospitalized client's address. The house was burglarized while the client was hospitalized. Advances made in technology and communication with nursing informatics increase the number of ethical issues that surround nursing. Security issues can affect a whole community that utilizes a health care organization. This is an issue that could occur due to nursing informatics.
The insurance company denied coverage to a client due to an undiagnosed pre-existing condition. The insurance company deduced that the client had diabetes mellitus after the client's glucose levels were consistently above 140 mg/dL during hospitalization. Advances made in technology and communication with nursing informatics increase the number of ethical issues that surround nursing. When health care insurance companies gain access to this extra information, they can use this it to deny coverage. This is a result of poor security.
A computer hacker stole information from the hospital's computerized billing system and used the information to obtain a credit card in a client's name. Advances made in technology and communication with nursing informatics increase the number of ethical issues that surround nursing. Security issues can affect a whole community that utilizes a health care organization. This is an example of something that could occur as a result of poor security.
The client's sister-in-law is an employee in the laboratory at the hospital, and discovered that the client had been admitted. The employee told the client's brother about the admission and specific laboratory results that indicated that the client was HIV-positive. Advances made in technology and communication with nursing informatics increase the number of ethical issues that surround nursing. This is an example of a break in confidentiality and privacy because information was shared with people who were unauthorized. This is in direct violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.
The information from the client's admission was used in research by the nurse manager to reduce the unit's average length of stay and increase quality of care. This is not an example of an ethical issue. This is an example of how data can be used to improve quality of care.

Answer to Question 2

Answer: 1

Rationale: Using electronic health records with networking systems that communicate well leads to less documentation requirements, better communication, and an improved quality of care. When systems within the health care organization do not communicate well with other systems, the nurses have to document the same information in more than one area. Better communication and integration between computer systems leads to less work that must be performed by the nurses. The health care information in the electronic health record remains a legal document even if the systems don't integrate well with other systems. The security of the personal health information is not necessarily compromised, as there are no data offered to support this premise. The computer system should continue to flag drug allergies and perform nursing alert activities for the nurse regardless of how often the information has to be entered.