Legal, Ethical, And Policy Issues - 1392 Words

Legal, Ethical, and Policy Issues, Oh My! Julia Colasurdo SUNY College of Technology at Alfred State Abstract Legal, ethical, and policy issues are an important aspect of nursing and medical informatics. Nurses should be aware of the dilemmas facing the use of informatics in the health care facilities. It is important to note the legal issues facing nursing because of the charges of negligence that can be incurred on the nurse if not aware. Ethical dilemmas of privacy including security breaches can be detrimental to the facility, and the patients. Nurses should also be aware of the policies regarding privacy, and confidentiality. These actions can help prevent issues and aid in improving the health care system, especially in†¦show more content†¦Health care depends on information.† As nurses we have to be able to interpret the data and evaluate it’s accuracy. We also use it along with our assessments to care for our patients and identify when something isn’t right. This objective will help me to understand the legal, ethical, and policy issues related to the use of informatics in the work place. And it will also allow me to be not only aware of these issues, but will help me to understand and utilize the data in the intended way to help patients. Legal Issues Legal issues related to medical informatics was destined to be a problem. Before health records were only paper based and there was constantly incomplete or illegible information that was difficult to dicipher. Now that electronic health records are commonly used, health care providers have access to unlimited amounts of data that’s perfectly legible. The amount of data now avaialable to the providers could almost be overwhelming. â€Å"This virtual â€Å"mountain† of data can lead to information overload, a new liability that can lead providers to overlook key findings despite reliable access to documentation. For instance, clinicians who miss a critical detail that affects treatment decisions while reviewing the EHR could in fact be liable for negligence because â€Å"the fact in question was likely just a few clicks away.†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Sittig Singh, 2011). The use of electronic health records,