scholarly journals The Ethical Digital Surgeon (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle Lam ◽  
Sanjay Purkayastha ◽  
James M Kinross

UNSTRUCTURED This viewpoint explores the ethical and regulatory consequences of the digital transformation of the operating room. Surgical robotics is undergoing significant change and future advances will center around the capture and use of data. The consequences of creating this surgical data pipeline must be understood and digital surgical systems must prioritize the safeguarding of patient data. Moreover, data protection laws and frameworks must adapt to the changing nature of surgical data. Finally, digital surgeons must understand changing data legislation and best practice on data governance to act as guardians not only for their own but also for their patients’ data.

10.2196/25849 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (7) ◽  
pp. e25849
Author(s):  
Kyle Lam ◽  
Sanjay Purkayastha ◽  
James M Kinross

This viewpoint explores the ethical and regulatory consequences of the digital transformation of the operating room. Surgical robotics is undergoing significant change and future advances will center around the capture and use of data. The consequences of creating this surgical data pipeline must be understood and digital surgical systems must prioritize the safeguarding of patient data. Moreover, data protection laws and frameworks must adapt to the changing nature of surgical data. Finally, digital surgeons must understand changing data legislation and best practice on data governance to act as guardians not only for their own but also for their patients’ data.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Georg W. Alpers ◽  
Lisa Frey ◽  
Stephanie Tessmer-Petzendorfer ◽  
Anna Klingauf ◽  
Silvia Schad

Digital communication is omnipresent. In everyday life, social messenger apps are very popular. Thus, for some patients1 it seems intuitive to use such media to correspond with their professional therapists as well. From a practical perspective, this seems to be advantageous for the therapists themselves. However, this should not lead us to overlook the problems of such platforms, especially issues with data protection. In spite of the legally binding rollout of a safe communication route for therapeutic and medical services in Germany (the so-called “Telematik-Infrastruktur”), so far, there is no unproblematic communication platform for therapists and their patients. Special messenger apps, which explicitly do not store metadata, seem to be the least problematic besides classic phone calls or letters. However, they are not yet widely used. This paper aims to sensitize psychotherapists for their responsibility and to demonstrate technical options, which need to be weighed carefully in order to maximize data protection of digital communication in therapeutic practice.


2007 ◽  
Vol 89 (2) ◽  
pp. 70-72
Author(s):  
CN Peck ◽  
MJ Fehily ◽  
DW Howcroft ◽  
DS Johnson

The Data Protection Act (DPA) 1998 became UK law in March 2000, with the purpose of preventing the misuse of sensitive personal data. It imposed legal obligations on all medical and surgical personnel and has implications for training logbooks, audit and research. Previous studies have shown a poor awareness of and compliance with the Act, which gives us rules to follow when handling patient data. The DPA has tighter controls over electronic data than paper-based data due to the rise in the use of computers for holding such information and their potential for abuse. The aim of this study was to assess compliance with the DPA, particularly with regard to electronic logbooks.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (02) ◽  
pp. 229-236
Author(s):  
Clair Sullivan ◽  
Ides Wong ◽  
Emily Adams ◽  
Magid Fahim ◽  
Jon Fraser ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Queensland, Australia has been successful in containing the COVID-19 pandemic. Underpinning that response has been a highly effective virus containment strategy which relies on identification, isolation, and contact tracing of cases. The dramatic emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic rendered traditional paper-based systems for managing contact tracing no longer fit for purpose. A rapid digital transformation of the public health contact tracing system occurred to support this effort. Objectives The objectives of the digital transformation were to shift legacy systems (paper or standalone electronic systems) to a digitally enabled public health system, where data are centered around the consumer rather than isolated databases. The objective of this paper is to outline this case study and detail the lessons learnt to inform and give confidence to others contemplating digitization of public health systems in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This case study is set in Queensland, Australia. Universal health care is available. A multidisciplinary team was established consisting of clinical informaticians, developers, data strategists, and health information managers. An agile “pair-programming” approach was undertaken to application development and extensive change efforts were made to maximize adoption of the new digital workflows. Data governance and flows were changed to support rapid management of the pandemic. Results The digital coronavirus application (DCOVA) is a web-based application that securely captures information about people required to quarantine and creates a multiagency secure database to support a successful containment strategy. Conclusion Most of the literature surrounding digital transformation allows time for significant consultation, which was simply not possible under crisis conditions. Our observation is that staff was willing to adopt new digital systems because the reason for change (the COVID-19 pandemic) was clearly pressing. This case study highlights just how critical a unified purpose, is to successful, rapid digital transformation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirjana Stankovic ◽  
Agustín Ignacio Filippo

This report uses the Global Value Chain (GVC) data framework to provide scoping review and analysis of Mexico's current position and potential for using and harvesting GVC data in the automotive and electronics sectors. By conducting the study on GVCs data, we hope to broaden the understanding of the importance of data transfers for GVCs, production, and trade, underlining that data are critical to all companies and not only to the so-called "high-tech companies." Data protection, sharing, and security are also central to manufacturers in the automotive and electronics sectors. This report will review how datafication, data protection, sharing, and security impact Mexico's automotive and electronics industry. This information is analyzed from a global perspective and the viewpoint of Mexico to provide a holistic picture of the situation when identifying trajectories for entry, growth, and upgrading along GVCs that rely on datafication and digital transformation. It will also offer recommendations for regulators and policymakers on how to facilitate successful GVCs' data functioning and guidance for businesses on how to harvest data for growth and digital transformation.


Laws ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark J. Taylor ◽  
Tess Whitton

The United Kingdom’s Data Protection Act 2018 introduces a new public interest test applicable to the research processing of personal health data. The need for interpretation and application of this new safeguard creates a further opportunity to craft a health data governance landscape deserving of public trust and confidence. At the minimum, to constitute a positive contribution, the new test must be capable of distinguishing between instances of health research that are in the public interest, from those that are not, in a meaningful, predictable and reproducible manner. In this article, we derive from the literature on theories of public interest a concept of public interest capable of supporting such a test. Its application can defend the position under data protection law that allows a legal route through to processing personal health data for research purposes that does not require individual consent. However, its adoption would also entail that the public interest test in the 2018 Act could only be met if all practicable steps are taken to maximise preservation of individual control over the use of personal health data for research purposes. This would require that consent is sought where practicable and objection respected in almost all circumstances. Importantly, we suggest that an advantage of relying upon this concept of the public interest, to ground the test introduced by the 2018 Act, is that it may work to promote the social legitimacy of data protection legislation and the research processing that it authorises without individual consent (and occasionally in the face of explicit objection).


Author(s):  
Kirils Dubinins ◽  
Kristīne Mārtinsone

Provision of remote services became relevant all over the world, during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Latvian supervisors were also forced to transfer their practice to the digital space as well. COVID-19 pandemic challenges opened a wider range of opportunities for improvement remote practice. Pandemic also highlighted the risks associated with lack of relevant competences. At the global level over the last decade, risks associated with remote counselling summarized in guidelines, providing professionals with examples of best practice. In Latvia, on other hand, such guidelines have not adopted yet.This study developed with the aim to find out the awareness of Latvian supervisors about the risks (cyber security) of using information technology and the protection of personal data in the conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic.To find out how Latvian supervisors are aware about the risks of using information technology (cyber security) and personal data protection, a survey conducted among Latvian supervisors and organizing an expert panel discussion, scientific strength of the study ensured by data triangulation.The obtained results allowed to conclude that the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for supervision remote practice, at the same time the research data show that the awareness of Latvian supervisors about the risks of information technology use (cyber security) and personal data protection is medium to low.The results of the research show that in the education of Latvian supervisors it is necessary to allocate place for the acquisition of information technology (cyber security) risk and personal data protection regulation.This research emphasizes the importance of several supervisors’ competences such as digital knowledge and personal data protection, however further research is needed to find the most effective methods how to improve these competences.  


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 ◽  
pp. 01009
Author(s):  
Tatiana D. Margaryan ◽  
Liliya V. Kalugina

In order to survive and evolve the humanity needs changes and transformation. Changes in education are of particular importance because education plays a crucial role in creating a sustainable future. Today, we are undergoing digital transformation in all areas of our life, but educational institutions are only taking the first steps to become digital. Digital transformation of education should involve not only using computers at classes but designing new methods of teaching and learning as well. Technologies should benefit education. The purpose of this work is to share the successful experience of educators of the English for engineering technologies department at Bauman University in designing a new multimedia two-year English course for undergraduates at technical universities. The course “English in the Digital Age” includes a Student’s Book in the digital format with integrated audio and video authentic materials, a Workbook with the key and mock tests, a Teacher’s Resource Book with detailed teaching notes and an online course for English grammar drilling with an answer reveal function and personalized testing with automatic assessment. The course essential feature is that an online self-study grammar course and face-to-face learning process are successfully combined and personalized. The benefit of the work is the best practice in creating a basis for digital transformation of learning and teaching English at a technical university.


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