The Ethics of Health Information Technology in Oncology: Emerging Isssues from Both Local and Global Perspectives

Abstract

Health information technology (HIT) is ever-increasing in complexity and has incrementally become a fundamental part of our everyday clinical lives. As HIT becomes more complex and commonplace, so do the questions it raises about stewardship and usage of data, along with the ethics of these applications. With the development of rapid-learning systems, such as ASCO's CancerLinQ, careful thought about the ethics and applications of these technologies is necessary. This article uses the principles-based framework of modern bioethics to examine evolving ethical issues that arise in the context of HIT and also discusses HIT's application in reducing cancer care disparities in the developing world. We recognize that this topic is quite broad, so here we provide an overview of the issues, rather than any definitive conclusions about a particular "correct path." Our hope is to stimulate discussion about this important topic, which will increasingly need to be addressed in the oncology community.

Towards an ethics for telehealth

“…25 Together with privacy, confidentiality and liability, the ‘autonomy’ brought by telehealth to remote users is among the most discussed issues from an ethical viewpoint. 28,43,44 Here, it is worthy to remind that this kind of discussion should be tailored on the peculiar features of the remote service considered – scope, features, pervasiveness, involvement of care professionals, length and so on. Nonetheless, for the purposes of this work, it is sufficient to consider that the adoption of telehealth services has been usually seen as a means to ensure a greater autonomy to elderly and chronic patients.…”