A call for social informatics.

As evidence of the associations between social factors and health outcomes continues to mount, capturing and acting on social determinants of health (SDOH) in clinical settings has never been more relevant. Many professional medical organizations have endorsed screening for SDOH, and the U.S. Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has recommended increased capacity of health information technology to integrate and support use of SDOH data in clinical settings. As these efforts begin their translation to practice, a new subfield of health informatics is emerging, focused on the application of information technologies to capture and apply social data in conjunction with health data to advance individual and population health. Developing this dedicated subfield of informatics-which we term social informatics-is important to drive research that informs how to approach the unique data, interoperability, execution, and ethical challenges involved in integrating social and medical care.

Software educativo y principios éticos / Educational software and the ethical principles

El proceso de elaboración de un software educativo es una actividad que requiere de la participación de diferentes ciencias para la obtención de un resultado con calidad, o sea de la interdisciplinaridad. Al respecto, el grupo investigación-acción del Proyecto nacional para la producción de software educativo (SE) en la Educación Médica Superior, Galenomedia, durante sus más de seis años de trabajo, identificó que los aspectos más analizados en proyectos de investigación, publicaciones y tesis de maestría que abordan la elaboración de un software educativo, están relacionados con la Informática, la pedagogía y la ciencia en cuestión, dejando al margen frecuentemente el análisis de los aspectos éticos que también marcan pautas importantes en su desarrollo. El presente trabajo pretende reflexionar sobre algunos principios éticos que deben ser considerados en la elaboración y uso del software educativo en el campo de la salud con el objetivo de contribuir a perfeccionar su proceso de elaboración y con ello a una mejor formación de los profesionales de la salud

The process of creation of educational software requires the involvement of several sciences to achieve a quality result, that is, requires interdisciplinarity. In over six years of work, the research/action group of the national project for the production of educational software in the higher medical education, known as Galenomedia, found out that the most analyzed aspects in educational software-linked research projects, publications and Master of Sciences' theses had been informatics, pedagogy and sciences; however, the analysis of ethical aspects that may also establish important guidelines for the development of this type of software had been frequently neglected. The present paper was intended to make reflections on some of the ethical principles that should be borne in mind in creating and using educational software in the field of health care, in order to support the improvement of this process and the better formation of health professionals

Cyberethics and co-operation in the information society.

The task of this paper is to ground the notion of cyberethics of co-operation. The evolution of modern society has resulted in a shift from industrial society towards informational capitalism. This transformation is a multidimensional shift that affects all aspects of society. Hence also the ethical system of society is penetrated by the emergence of the knowledge society and ethical guidelines for the information age are needed. Ethical issues and conflicts in the knowledge society are connected to topics of ecological and social sustainability. For information ethics and cyberethics, the sustainable design of society, social, and socio-technological systems is important. In this context the notions of sustainability and co-operation are discussed. Based on these categories, the approach of cyberethics of co-operation can be theoretically grounded.

Programmers, professors, and parasites: credit and co-authorship in computer science.

This article presents an in-depth analysis of past and present publishing practices in academic computer science to suggest the establishment of a more consistent publishing standard. Historical precedent for academic publishing in computer science is established through the study of anecdotes as well as statistics collected from databases of published computer science papers. After examining these facts alongside information about analogous publishing situations and standards in other scientific fields, the article concludes with a list of basic principles that should be adopted in any computer science publishing standard. These principles would contribute to the reliability and scientific nature of academic publications in computer science and would allow for more straightforward discourse in future publications.

A critique of positive responsibility in computing.

It has been claimed that (1) computer professionals should be held responsible for an undisclosed list of "undesirable events" associated with their work and (2) most if not all computer disasters can be avoided by truly understanding responsibility. Programmers, software developers, and other computer professionals should be defended against such vague, counterproductive, and impossible ideals because these imply the mandatory satisfaction of social needs and the equation of ethics with a kind of altruism. The concept of social needs is debatable with no one possessing the authority to impose their version of them. Similarly, the notion of "positive responsibility" is difficult to apply, does not effectively change computing practice, and confuses good (i.e., efficient) computer engineering with good (i.e. moral) computer engineering.

The need for global certification in the field of health informatics: some ethical issues.

In the past, the training of health information professionals (HIPs) has focussed almost exclusively on technical matters, the concerns of software developers and purveyors have essentially centred on security and functionality, and health care providers have mainly worried about costs and efficiency. This paper outlines some ethical threats that are ignored by such a purely technical focus and argues that because of the increasing globalization of health care delivery through e-Health, and because of the international threats to confidentiality posed by legislation such as the US Patriot Act, the health informatics community should pursue a project of global certification for HIPs that includes information ethics as an integral component. It also argues that a corresponding certification process for health care institutions and software developers should be initiated.

Using fieldwork in analyzing ethical issues related to IT in health care.

This paper describes how an understanding of everyday conflicts that have ethical implications - what we call 'situated ethics'- can be explored through ethnographic field techniques in healthcare settings. Our approach to ethics is followed by findings from two ethnographic case studies focussing on issues arising as information technologies such as electronic patient records and automatic drug dispensing machines are introduced into varied health sector workplaces. By close and careful observation of these technologies in use and by incorporating narrative accounts from different perspectives the complexity and entangledness of real life occurrences are revealed. Our data suggest that several types of ethical issues (e.g., issues related to intellectual property, literacy, standardization, transparency, work ethics, and equitable allocation of resources) can be identified through fieldwork, and can have an impact on identification of everyday ethics in healthcare.

Informatics challenges for the impending patient information explosion.

As we move toward an era when health information is more readily accessible and transferable, there are several issues that will arise. This article addresses the challenges of information filtering, context-sensitive decision support, legal and ethical guidelines regarding obligations to obtain and use the information, aligning patient and health professionals' expectations in regard to the use and usefulness of the information, and enhancing data reliability. The authors discuss the issues and offer suggestions for addressing them.

Preparing the next generation of advanced practice nurses.

The Institute of Medicine's vision for health professions education highlights the importance of informatics competencies for all graduates. This paper describes an innovative course, required for all graduate students at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center School of Nursing. The design, implementation, and evaluation of NURS6013, Human Technology Interface provides evidence to support it as one model for consideration in meeting the Institute of Medicine's vision for health professions education: The course provides learning opportunities which examine the impact of technology on society and health care, informatics and human factors, as well as the legal, ethical, and policy issues related to the use of technology.

Registration and regulation of health informatics professionals in the UK National Health Service.

Whilst good health informatics can contribute directly to the delivery of effective patient care, bad informatics can kill. The UK is establishing a regulatory body to register health informatics specialists who can demonstrate that they meet agreed standards of professional practice: the UK Council for Health Informatics Professions (UKCHIP). UKCHIP will also manage the introduction of a Code of Conduct (based on the IMIA Code) and processes for continuous professional development, appeals, and removal from the Register. The challenge has been to design a process that provides a suitable structure for all informatics staff, including records, coding, audit, library and knowledge management, ICT, systems, information management and clinical management specialists. The contention is that this inclusive model of regulation has international applicability.