In today’s world technology has affected every aspect of the society including healthcare. Technology plays a crucial role in the saving of lives around the globe with the use of technology in pharmaceuticals, information technology, and biotechnology. Some of these contributions include the use of MRI machines, artificial organs, and robotic prosthetic limbs. Information systems are defined as the amalgamated set of components used in collecting, processing data, knowledge, storing, and providing information. The healthcare industry employs information systems to carry out and manage their day-to-day operations, such as interacting with their patients and processing financial accounts through the use of electronic medical records (EMR) and telehealth services. With the adoption of the use of medical technology, such as mobile phones on the job, physicians can access information about their patients within seconds. Physicians can easily access drug information and patient history as more hospitals are adapting to the use of technology.
Every day new remarkable developments are invented and can be used to make our lives easier and much better. For family members taking care of the elderly has become more comfortable in through the use of health technology. These innovations provide caregivers with a 24-hour home care system, the management of medication protocols, and a comfortable and efficient way of ensuring patient safety. Some of these technologies are designed to help the elderly maintain independence in their lives. Automated medication dispensers can be used if one is taking different medications which have different dosing schedules. The machine helps ensure the right dosage of medication has been taken. The use of robots as home companions in addressing the issue of isolation among the elderly and monitoring their health and safety (Lin, Abney & Bekey, 2012). Despite the numerous benefits of the use of robotics in elderly care, there are several ethical issues associated with robotics care. Some of these ethical issues include the loss of privacy among senior adults. Is it ethical to hold them responsible, are the robots moral agents finally what the ramifications of using robots are? The use of technologies such as Ambient Intelligent Technology (AIT) which collects, distributes, and stores confidential information of users from an array of robots in the household and combines the data sending the information to caregivers. (Malle, 2016). Such process can be hacked and accessed to the information gathered thus infringing on the user’s privacy.
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The second ethical issue is security and safety of the walking devices in fall accidents and injuries. The safety of fall prevention devices should have bug-free programs so as to prevent the elderly from falling on account of negligible blunders in their programming. The use of artificial robots and Ambient Intelligent Technology has led to numerous ethical issues, such as responsivity due to the autonomous nature of them in decision-making. For this reason, the liability for the errors caused by the robots is of critical concern. Robots do not hold the ethical capacity and moral agency of reflecting what they do. Thus, when problematic moral situations arise, there are problems as the robots are autonomous and lack human interventions.
The Internet is considered to be a valuable educational tool for children across the world. Encounter and use of technology at school and at home has continuously increased. The increased usage of the Internet and mobile devices plays a significant role in children’s development. We must also be aware of the ethical issues associated with the use of technology as the extensive use of technology presents new and thoughtful ethical considerations. As more families and educators are using the power of technology in teaching and learning for children, online education for kids has increased. It has become a norm for parents to educate their children on becoming computer-literate by buying them computers and mobile devices without teaching them netiquette, Internet ethics, and cyberbullying. Without a doubt, technology can be used to change the way children learn by appealing to students who have specific and different abilities (Luppicini, 2010). Learning aids such as kinesthetic learning modalities and visual aids can be used. Some of the ethical issues brought about by the expansion of digital connectivity and communication include privacy infringement, copyright violation, and cyberbullying.
Due to the anonymity and invisibility of people in online communities, individuals do things that are morally wrong and say things that they would say in public or person. Cyberbullying is defined as repeated hateful and hurtful remarks towards somebody in a hostile manner. Parents should educate their children on the appropriate use of and behavior in the Internet. Both parents and children should be aware of the problems associated with cyberbullying and be able to assist their kids in handling such issues. Social networks bring up ethical issues for parents who are friends with their kids as the kids may learn disturbing things about their parents.
The use of social media has led to debates on some numerous ethical issues, such as privacy, where big companies, such as Google, sell their data collected to marketers and intelligence agencies. They sell information with no regards to the individual’s privacy (Holden, 2014). Many people around the world believe that it is legal and ethical to use somebody else’s work and provide it as their own, especially if they think no one will find out. Thus, most people never adhere to copyright protection laws conscientiously. It is of paramount importance for parents to educate their children that it is unethical to use someone’s work and claim it as your own or download music or videos online.
- Holden, G. W. (2014). Parenting: A Dynamic Perspective. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, Inc.
- Lin, P. Abney K. & Bekey G. A. (2012). The ethical and social implications of robotics. Cambridge: MIT Press.
- Luppicini, R. (2010). Technoethics and the evolving knowledge society: Ethical issues in technological design, research, development, and innovation. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference.
- Malle, B. F. (2016). Integrating robot ethics and machine morality: the study and design of moral competence in robots. Ethics Information Technology, 18(4), 243–256. doi: 10.1007/s10676-015-9367-8
