Introduction
Technological advances have led to increased use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in medical and social care (Berleur, Nurminen & Impagliazzo 2006). While ICT has made access to accurate information faster, it has also created ethical issues that must be diligently dealt with. In various ways, the use of ICT has greatly legal considerations.
In order to guarantee effective use of ICT, it is imperative to ensure that usage is governed by well formulated laws and regulations. This paper investigates how legal considerations have impacted the use of ICT in health and social care.
Impact of Legal Considerations in the Use of ICT in Health and Social Care
To a large extent, hospitals are required to collect and store massive data about the state of patients under their care. While this is very critical in ensuring that medical practitioners can keep track of patients and effectively monitor their progress, it can easily be abused by people with ill intentions. Although it is in order for hospitals and medical practitioners to gather information about their clients, the law requires that such information be kept in a very secure place.
In addition, access to such information must be controlled. A similar experience is encountered when it comes to the use of ICT in social care. Information in the custody of those offering medical and social care to members of the public must be kept safely. The UK Data Protection Act places the onus on anybody who keeps information about another to ensure that such information is securely stored (Kosta 2013, p. 69). Disclosure of personal information without consent from the owner of such information is strictly prohibited under the UK Data Protection Act.
The UK Data Protection Act also expects the keeper of information to ensure that any person who has information kept about him or her is not denied access to such information. In addition, any information kept about an individual must always be updated. It is absolutely necessary to ensure that the information kept represents an individual’s most current state. Under the Act, any person who has information kept about him or her has a right to demand for such updates. Keeping outdated information about an individual may lead to prosecution of the person or agency storing the information.
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) also exists to protect individuals who have information kept about them for whatever reason. Generally, FOIA is designed to ensure that any information held by public entities can be accessed by interested parties as when needed. Ostensibly, this is meant to enable members of the public to understand how public institutions use any information in their custody.
Conclusion
While the use of information and communication technologies comes with numerous benefits for societies, it is imperative to strictly observe legal and ethical issues as far as the application of ICT in health and social care is concerned. As earlier mentioned, various laws have been enacted by different countries to control how information is accessed and used with the help of ICT.
The UK Data Protection Act and the Freedom of Information Act are examples of laws that have been formulated to provide safety to information and to see to it that those responsible for collecting and storing information about private individuals do so with caution. Ultimately, the goal is to protect individuals who have information kept about them.
Reference List
Berleur, J, Nurminen, MI & Impagliazzo, J 2006, Social Informatics: An Information Society for All?, Springer Science & Business Media, New York, NY. Web.
Kosta, E 2013, Consent in European Data Protection Law, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Danvers, MA. Web.