Information Technology and Ethical Issues

In our first week of this course we looked at Information Technology (IT) and the ethical issues that can arise as a result of using IT devices.  This post will provide definitions for IT along with intellectual property, social justice and informed consent. It will also outline how IT is used and viewed by people in our society, discuss the relationship between Occupational Therapy (OT) and IT, and as I said before, look at some of the ethical issues that can arise as a result of using IT devices.  As well as this I will also be adding in some of my own opinions and experiences around these subjects!


"Information Technology (IT) is a term that encompasses all forms of technology used to create, store, exchange and utilize information in its various forms including business data, conversations, still images, motion pictures and multimedia presentations" ("Information Technology", 2010). To me, I think this means that Information Technology is anything and everything that has to do with the forms of technology we use to communicate information, store information, use information and create and shape information in and around the world that we live in.
Information Technology. (2010). Retrieved 19th March 2011, from http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/term/82268.html

In our society today, IT has become so commonly and excessively used that most of us rarely stop to think about it! We use it on a daily basis in our jobs, for our studies, in our schools, in our homes and in many, many other places and situations. So many people in society rely on IT to get through the day and i'm sure many, like myself, can't imagine what life would be like without it! In New Zealand I think it would be fair to say that the majority of the population have access to a computer, access to the internet and have their own mobile phones, ipods and cameras etc. These devices create so many opportunities for people and allow us to do so many things, the options are increasing daily! Amongst all these things, however, I think that the main thing we use IT devices for is communication. Communication is made easy through IT, whether it be via things such as texts, phone calls, emails, facebook, twitter, myspace or blogs like this one, we all have ways to communicate with others at the touch of a button or the click of a mouse! The link below will take you to a video made a few years ago that I think is interesting as it shows how fast IT has advanced and influenced our society over the years!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ww2N_DNxDdw&feature=related


For me personally, I feel quite comfortable using most IT devices, some more than others though! The one device I use the most and feel most confident using would have to be my computer. This is because I have spent a lot of time on this over the last few years as I finished high school and moved down to Dunedin to study! I use it to research, do online work and lectures, type up assignments, check and send emails, go on facebook and my all time favourite; to skype! I also use an ipod, cellphone, and a camera on a regular basis which i feel so comfortable with because i've used them for so long that using them has become automatic and I dont even have to think about it anymore. Over the years, however, there have been some devices that i've come across that I dont know how to use and softwares that i've been unfamiliar with but luckily thats what Google's been there for! 


In OT practice, IT is used in a lot for communication. One major way OT's use IT to communicate is through online patient notes systems. I know from my fieldwork experience that the OT and other health professionals were able to write their notes directly onto the computer and save them into the system so that they can go back to them and so that the other health professionals working with the client can access them. This was an effective way to store and access client notes within the setting! Other IT devices and systems that are used in OT are computer games, computer software and hardware, portable devices (cellphones, PDAs, digital audio players) and the internet. Computer games, for example, are used as a tool for treatment of physical, cognitive and behavioural occupational performance. I think that they would be a very useful device as they can be played almost anywhere on a laptop and as they would be fun for clients of all all ages! Understanding and using IT will help us as OT's in practice as it will provide many more opportunities and techniques for intervention and allow many aspects of practice to be carried more efficiently. Below is a link that will take you to a website that gives you a more in depth look at how OT's use IT. 
http://www.slideshare.net/anitahamilton/online-technology-for-occupational-therapy-presentation-for-students


IT devices, especially the internet, often get misused and cause ethical issues to arise. When people post or upload things to the internet they often forget that once uploaded other people may be able to gain access to them. Once this happens there is no way for the person who posted the information/photo/video to get total control of it back. Things like videos, quotes and photos that people find interesting or amusing spread like wildfire on the internet! Just take a look at youtube's top rated videos and you'll see!


Definitions:


Intellectual Property (IP) is to do with creations of the mind: inventions, artistic and literary works, and symbols, names, images and designs that are used in commerce (WIPO, n.d.). 
IP can be divided into two categories: Industrial property and Copyright. Industrial property includes things like inventions, industrial designs and trademarks whereas copyright includes literary works (novels, poems etc.) and artistic works (drawings, paintings photos etc.)(WIPO, n.d.).  
WIPO. (n.d.). What is Intellectual Property. Retrieved 19th March 2011, from 
http://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/

Social Justice is defined as "fair and proper administration of laws conforming to the law that all persons are to be treated equally and without prejudice" (Business Dictionary, n.d.). Social Justice relates to OT in the way that all clients have the right to be treated equally and fairly. We OT's as health professionals always need to keep this in the forefront of our minds when working with clients so that we can provide the best, fair and equal treatment to each and every individual client. 
Business Dictionary. (n.d.). Social justice. Retrieved 19th March 2011, from

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/social-justice.html

Informed consent is a legal procedure which involves informing a patient or client with all the risks and costs involved in a treatment before they go through with it ("What is Informed Consent", n.d.). Gaining a persons consent includes informing the client of the nature of the treatment, alternative treatments that could be possible, and the potential risks and benefits of the treatment ("What is Informed Consent", n.d).  In OT it is known that many agencies or facilities have policies and procedures around consent such as a blanket consent that all clients must sign upon admission (College of Occupational Therapists of Manitoba, 2006). 

College of Occupational Therapists of Manitoba. (2006). Informed consent in occupational therapy practice. Retrieved 19th March, 2011 from http://www.cotm.ca/pdf/InformedConsent.pdf

What is Informed Consent. (2011). Retrieved 19th March from http://psychology.about.com/od/iindex/g/def_informedcon.htm