This is my first technical description for participation in occupation one, in this post I will be looking at information technology and ethical issues. When looking at Information technology, it refers to both hardware and software which are used to gain, manipulate or store information (Alexandrou, 2011). When talking about hardware we are referring to devices such as hard drives, USB’s, Xbox’s, Play station’s as well as many others when looking at software it is focusing on things such as Microsoft word, Facebook, YouTube and Hotmail. To me Information technology means a way to simplify everyday tasks such as paying bills and learning all online although it has many other benefits such as being used as a way of leisure for example playing games as well as communication with friends and family all over the world.
Information technology has become very common place within our society as we can see it everywhere and used for so many different reasons some examples are laptops, cell phones and social networks. I found a clip on YouTube that shows how technology has changed over the years and how common place it all has become.
When we look at the video we can see how much we rely on technology and how it is expected to change and grow in the future. Information technology is very necessary for many businesses as well as educational purposes as this website explains in further detail http://www.buzzle.com/articles/importance-of-information-technology.html
I am currently quite comfortable using common technology such as computers and laptops as my course requires us to do so daily, although I do often find them confusing and sometimes frustrating. When using more advance technologies such as electric wheelchairs and Ipads I have a lot more difficulty as I found out in one of our recent tutorials, I think that this is because of the amount of time I have spent with these items, which before that class was none. As a lot of my course material is online it expands my use of IT such as this blog for example before beginning my participation in occupation class I had no idea on how to post information, videos and links onto a blog.
Information technology can be used for so many reasons in the field of occupational therapy whether this is for educational, research or note keeping purposes. A great example of the use of technology is using an IPod or other music storing devices for relaxation sessions with the occupational therapist, feedback from the clients was always good for this activity and it was a great way to use technology on the ward. Technology can be a great tool when working as an OT although it can also have its downfalls. An example of this is when using technology therapists must make sure they do not give out any personal information of clients. Therapists who store client’s information electronically would need to ensure that they are stored safely with no chance of others being able to read these personal details, as this would be a huge invasion of client’s privacy. Ways that I envision technology being used in occupational therapy is using it as a form of contact between clients going through similar situations. This could be a good way for people to meet people as well as share their experiences although it would have to be monitored to ensure it was being used for the correct purposes. This YouTube clip shows how Occupational therapists have used technology in practise in many different ways.
There can be many problems with the capturing, sharing and transferring of information such as cell phones and emails as you don’t always know who is receiving what you are sending as someone else may have got hold of someone’s phone for example. Internet can frequently give out false information and it is sometimes hard to tell the difference between something that is real and something that isn’t. Many ethical issues can arise when using technology for example people’s privacy can be breached. An example of this could be taking photos without peoples or places consent.
Intellectual property:
I was next asked to provide a definition of intellectual property as I had no idea what this meant I went to the trusty Google to find my answer. It took me a while before I came across this explanation “Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind: inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce”. IP is divided into two categories industrial property and copy right. When looking at industrial in refers to grants given for things like inventions and trademarks (WIPO, 2010) here is a link to the website http://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/. When we are looking at copyright it is referring to works people have done such as books and art. To me this means something that some has thought up or made in their head, it can be a huge range of things for example photos sculptures and designs and allows the owner to gain from their own works.
Social justice:
Social justice can the defined as “Fair and proper administration of laws conforming to the natural law that all persons, irrespective of ethnic origin, gender, possessions, race, religion, etc., are to be treated equally and without prejudice.” (WebFinance, 2011) To me this means treating everyone with respect and equally no matter of what race gender or religion etc. This is very relevant to practising OT’s as they will be dealing people that come from all different backgrounds and is it important that they respects every clients beliefs and do not discriminate because of these.Informed Consent:
“Informed consent can be defined as a legal procedure to ensure that a patient or client knows all of the risks and costs involved in a treatment. The elements of informed consents include informing the client of the nature of the treatment, possible alternative treatments, and the potential risks and benefits of the treatment. In order for informed consent to be considered valid, the client must be competent and the consent should be given voluntarily.” (About.com, 2011) To me this means that it is important to make sure that people have a full understanding of what it going to happen and agree to this. We can see how this is very relevant to occupational therapy as when doing treatment with clients it is important that they have a full understanding of what is happening and agree to participate.
References:
About.com. (2011). What Is Informed Consent? Retrieved May 1st, 2011, from About.com psychology: http://psychology.about.com/od/iindex/g/def_informedcon.htm
WebFinance. (2011). social justice. Retrieved May 1st, 2011, from BusinessDictionary.com: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/social-justice.html
WIPO. (2010). What is Intellectual Property? Retrieved May 2nd, 2011, from World intellectual property organization: http://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/
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