POLICIES, GUIDELINES AND LAWS IN NURSING INFORMATICS

● Policy
o This is a deliberate system of principles to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes.
o This is a statement of intent, and is implemented as a procedure or protocol.
o Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an organization. Defined as a course of
action that guides present and future decisions.
o Actions based on given conditions are selected from among identified alternatives.

● Health care Policy

o Health policy refers to decisions, plans, and actions that are undertaken to achieve specific health care
goals within a society.
o An explicit health policy can achieve several things: it defines a vision for the future which in turn helps to
establish targets and points of reference for the short and medium term. It outlines priorities and the
expected roles of different groups; and it builds consensus and informs people.
o Is established on local and national levels to guide the implementation of solutions for the population’s
health needs.
● The events to be included are the nursing shortage, a concern for patient safety, national informatics initiatives,
and delivery of services through Telehealth
● The national alliance for health information technology (NAHIT) is a partnership of diverse healthcare leaders who
are working to influence the use of technology to improve patient’s safety, quality and efficiency.

Intellectual property code of the Philippines

Republic Act No. 8293

● An Act prescribing the intellectual property code and establishing the intellectual property office, providing for its
powers functions, and other purposes.
● Recognizes that an effective intellectual and industrial property system is vital to the development of domestic and
creative activity, facilitates transfer of technology, attracts foreign investments, and ensures market access for our
products.
● It shall protect and secure the exclusive rights of scientists, investors, artists and other gifted citizens to their
intellectual property and creations, particularly when beneficial to the people, for such periods.
● Intellectual property refers to the creations of the mind: inventions, literary and artistic works, symbols, names and
images used in commerce.

Intellectual property rights under the intellectual Property Code are as follows:
1. Copyright and related rights: refers to the legal right of the owner of intellectual property. In simpler terms,
copyright is the right to copy. This means that the original creators of products and anyone they give authorization
to are the only ones with the exclusive right to reproduce the work.
2. Trademarks and service marks: is a distinctive sign that identifies certain goods or services produced or provided
by an individual or a company.
3. Geographic indications: is a sign used in goods that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a
reputation due to the place of origin.
4. Industrial designs: are applied to a wide variety of industrial products and handicrafts. They refer to the
ornamental or aesthetic aspects of an article including composition of lines or colors or any three dimensional
forms that give a special appearance to a product or handicraft. The design must have an aesthetic appeal.
5. Patents: is an exclusive right granted for an invention – a product or process that provides a new way of doing
something, or that offers a new technical solution to a problem. It provides the owners with protection for their
inventions. Protection is granted for a limited period, generally 20 years.
6. Layout designs (topographies) of integrated circuits
7. Protection of undisclosed information.

The agency of the government in charge of the implementation of the Intellectual Property Code is the Intellectual
Property Office which replaced the Bureau of Patents, Trademarks and technology Transfer. It is divided into six Bureaus,
namely:
1. Bureau of Patents
2. Bureau of Trademarks
3. Bureau of Legal Affairs
4. Documentation, Information and technology Transfer Bureau
 5. Management information system and EDP Bureau and
6. Administrative, Financial and personnel Services Bureau

Intellectual property law

● Deals with the rules for securing and enforcing legal rights to inventions, designs and artistic works.
● Give an incentive for people to develop creative works that benefit society, by ensuring they can profit from
their works without fear of misappropriation by others.

Copyright law of the Philippines Republic Act No. 8293

● Took effect on January 1, 1998, under the presidency of Fidel V. Ramos
● A copyright is the legal protection extended to the owner of the rights in an original work
● In the Intellectual Property (IP) Code of the Philippines, literary and artistic works include books, writings,
musical works, films, paintings and other works including computer programs.

Types of rights under the law of copyright

A. Economic Rights
− Replication of the work, or a portion of the work
− Transformation or dramatization of the original work
− The first public distribution of the original work and each copy of the work
B. Moral Rights
− Rights of creators of copyrighted works generally recognized in civil law jurisdictions and, to a lesser
extent, in some common law jurisdictions. Require the authorship of the work be attributed to him or
her, meaning that the author may require that his or her name be displayed in a prominent fashion on
a copy or public distribution or use of the work.
− To make any transformation or adjustment to the work, or withhold it from publication
− To oppose any and all mutilation or any other derogatory action to the work which could potentially be
detrimental to the author’s honor and reputation
C. Resale Rights
− The author and his or her heirs have the inalienable right to partake of 5% of proceeds of the sale or
lease of his or her original work. This inalienable right is in effect during the lifetime of the author, and
for fifty years after his or her death.
D. Related Rights
− Are the rights of those whose help the author avails of in order to assist him in producing his work, and
distributing this work to the public. These rights are also referred to as “neighboring rights” and include
the following:
o Rights of performers
o Rights of producers and sound recordings
o Rights of broadcasting organizations

Privacy of Personal and Public Domains

● A network domain is an administrative grouping of multiple private computer networks or hosts within the same
infrastructure.
● Domains can be identified using a domain name; domains which need to be accessible from the public
Internet can be assigned a globally unique name within the Domain Name System (DNS)

What is Domain Privacy?

● When you register a domain name with any provider, your details (name, address, email and phone number)
are automatically added to a public WHOIS directory. This is a regulatory requirement for anyone who
registers their domain.
● With domain privacy you can hide your personal Information from public view, protecting you from spammers,
data miners and marketers to reduce unsolicited phone calls and emails.

The Computer Ethics Institute (CEI)

● This was founded in 1985 to serve as a forum and resource for identifying, assessing, and responding to
ethical issues associated with the advancement of information technologies and to facilitate the recognition of
ethics in the development and use of computer technologies.
● CEI developed the Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics. The eHealth Code of Ethics, developed by
Health Informatics Europe (2005), is "to ensure that people worldwide can confidently and with full
understanding of known risks realize the potential of the Internet in managing their own health and the health
 of those in their care." The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 sets the
standards on how security and confidentiality of healthcare information must be maintained.
● The act also sets the penalties for any breach in security of healthcare data. The Internet Healthcare Coalition,
founded in 1997, was created to promote quality health resources online and to ensure that consumers and
professionals are able to find reliable, quality information online.

Healthcare policy and nursing informatics as a specialty

● Nurses have contributed to the purchase, design, and implementation of IS since the 1970s.
● In 1992, the American Nurses Association (ANA) recognized NI as a specialty.
● Attempts in 1989 to be recognized as a specialty failed, but political forces within ANA supported the requests
when it was repeated in 1992.
● The term NI first appeared in the literature in the 1980’s. -The definition of NI has constantly evolved since that
time, molded by the maturation of the field and influenced by health policy.

To be acknowledged as a specialty with nursing, informatics had to:

● Demonstrate a differentiated practice base,
● Identify the existence of educational programs in the field,
● Show support from nationally recognized organizations, and
● Develop a research agenda.

Healthcare policy impact on nursing informatics practice

● Nursing has experienced a number of shortages in recent history.
● It is predicted that the shortage will result in a large deficit of nurses unless something is done the shortage will
rise from 6% in 2000 to 29% in 2020, or more than 800,000 nurses short of the number needed
● Nursing organizations have been actively advocating for increased federal funding to expand programs and
increase loans, scholarship, and incentives to attract more young people into nursing.
● In 2002 the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) Commission on Workforce launched a multiphase project to
develop IT that will help support nurses in their day-to-day Work, thereby reducing the demands of their jobs.
*Given the average age of nurses is 45.2, technology devices would enable some nurses to stay in their
careers longer.

National Health Information Infrastructure

● Another national initiative that will impact NI is the National Health Information Infrastructure (NHII). This
voluntary initiative, involving a three-stage process over 10 years, is intended to improve the effectiveness,
efficiency and overall quality of health and healthcare
● The vision and process for building the NHII is outlined in a report “Information for Health Information
Infrastructure released in Nov. 2001
● NHII calls for comprehensive knowledge based networks that integrate clinical, public health and personal
health information to improve decision making by having information available to providers.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

● A federal law designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the health care system
● HIPAA was passed in 1996 and is intended to improve public and private health programs by establishing
standards to facilitate the efficient transmission of electronic health information (Public Law,104-191, 1996)
● HIPAA preempts state law and payer-specific variations of data standards; and mandates input from private,
standard-setting organizations.
● The law also designates financial setting penalties for noncompliance with standards related specific
transactions.
● To avoid further duplication of effort, the law requires the DHHS to adopt standards from those already
approved by private standards-setting organizations.
● HIPAA has a significant impact on informatics; IT must be designed to comply with Title II of the act.
● Nurses must be aware of HIPAA and HITECH rules among the most critical activities
o Keep passwords private.
o Do not leave screens containing protected health information unattended.
o Access charts only of clients to whom you are assigned
o Always verify that you are charting on the correct client's chart and that the information is recorded
accurately

National Agenda for Nursing Informatics

 ● Health Resources and Services Administration HRSA is responsible for setting national policy to guide the
preparation of the nursing workforce, including preparation in the area of NI.
● The Division of nursing (DN) recognized the importance of information management and technology long
before the title NI was used to describe the field of practice and has funded projects focused in this area since
1972.
● Although the DN supported NI projects, the nursing workforce has continued to be deficient in informatics
skills.
● As a result, in 1997 the DN convened the National Nursing Informatics Work Group (NNIWG) to make
recommendations to the National Advisory Council for Nurse Education and practice. The strategic direction of
NI is as follows:
1. To include core informatics knowledge and skill in all undergraduate, graduate, and continuing
education programs.
2. To increase the number of nurses with specialized skills in informatics. Having more opportunity to
complete advanced informatics preparation has increased the number of ni specialists in practice, but
more are needed.
3. to enhance nursing practice and education through informatics projects.
4. To improve faculty skills in ni so that they in turn can promote the development of informatics
competency in students.

Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines Republic Act No. 8293: an act prescribing the intellectual property code
and establishing the intellectual property office, providing for its powers and functions, and for other purposes.
● It shall protect and secure the exclusive rights of scientists, investors, artists and other gifted citizens to their
intellectual property and creations, particularly when beneficial to the people, for such periods as provided in this
act.
● Intellectual Property Rights Under the Intellectual Property (IP) code are as follows:
1. Copyright & related rights
2. Trademark & service marks
3. Geographical indications
4. Industrial design
5. Patents
6. Layout designs
7. Protection of undisclosed information.
● Information privacy: the client’s right to control how his/her personal health information is collected, used and
disclosed
● Security: refers to the processes and tools that ensure confidentiality of information.

(QCIPA) Quality of Care Information Protection Act, 2016: provides broad protection to quality of care information
● purpose is to promote open discussion of adverse events, peer review activities and quality of care information,
while protecting this information from being used in litigation or accessed by clients
● Personal Health Information (PHI); any identifying information about an individual in oral or recorded form, as it
relates to their physical or mental health, their family, donations of body parts or substances, their health number,
or an individual's substitute decision-maker

"Netiquette", or network etiquette, is the code of common courtesy for users of the Internet.
● One should always use this courtesy when participating in e-mail communications, discussions, chat rooms,
blogs, and all other types of computer communication.
● Internet users should learn the rules of proper netiquette to avoid offending others with violations of courteous
Internet communication.
● Netiquette rules may vary slightly when one is engaging in personal communications with a close friend, or
whether this individual is composing a professional electronic communication to be viewed by others at work.
● Nurses engaging in professional electronic communications with other healthcare professionals and/or patients
should learn and understand this form of etiquette.

Why should nurses use “Netiquette”?

● Nurses are in an occupation where a strict code of professional conduct is important for both the nurse and the
profession as a whole.
● In order to advance the nursing profession and promote nurses as professionals, these health care workers
should engage in a professional manner in all methods of action and communication.
● One area of particular importance is electronic communication via the Internet, Intranet, or organizational
electronic mail.
 ● When one uses this method of communication, he or she may forget to use the traditional grammar, punctuation,
and simple etiquette rules established for more traditional means of interaction.
● In this manner, the idea of "netiquette" provides individuals, such as working professionals, with a standard of
etiquette that is specifically designed for the electronic communication methods used by numerous individuals
today.

The standards of “Netiquette”

● Some of the standards for basic netiquette include thinking and revising before posting an electronic
communication.
● One should always check a document for spelling and grammatical errors before sending. In addition, one should
remember that a real individual is reading the sent message. In this manner, one should include the recipient’s
name, a greeting, closing, and signature. One should also keep electronic messages short and to the point.
Furthermore, one should reply to messages promptly and be honest and respectful in all messages. It is important
to note that the intended recipient may not be the only person reading the electronic message, so one should
avoid judgments and assumptions.
● One should never assume that any communication sent from a work computer is private. In this manner, one
should follow strict netiquette rules when using company computers/Intranet, and one should be familiar with
company computer communication policies. In addition, one should avoid using common “net speak” acronyms
and abbreviations when writing electronic communications to others while in the workplace. Although some
individuals are familiar with these “net-speak” abbreviations, other persons may misunderstand the intended
meanings of these abbreviations. It would be better to spell out the entire word or phrase to avoid confusion and
even offense.
● It is important to note that netiquette rules apply not only to communication via computer. One should use these
standards when communicating via electronic devices such as PDAs, Blackberries, and cell phone electronic
mail. If one should find that an individual who has sent an electronic communication has committed a serious
netiquette violation, one may wish to politely correct this individual. By correcting the problem immediately, one
can educate this individual and keep his/her from making another violation. If one feels that a correction is in
order, one should send a private email to this individual to avoid embarrassment. One might include the netiquette
infraction as well as the proper netiquette technique.

Don’ts of “Netiquette”
● Never send an e-mail or communication when angry. One should always review the message when he or she is
calm.
● Never use profanity in an electronic communication.
● Never send lengthy multiple attachments for the reader to review. Keep electronic messages short, to the point,
and on subject.
● Never use all caps in electronic communication. Capital letters may be interpreted as shouting.
● Never forward chain letters and chain mail in electronic communications. When forwarding electronic messages,
one should either delete all previous email addresses to protect the privacy of others or ask the original sender if
forwarding is appropriate.

Common “Net-Speak” terms

Nurses should avoid using the following common “net-speak” abbreviations in their professional electronic
communications because one who is not familiar with these abbreviations may misunderstand the intended meaning.
● lol – laugh out loud ● pls – please
● btw – by the way ● tnx – thanks
● ttyl – talk to you later ● imho – in my humble opinion
● ur – your ● eod – end of discussion
● b4 – before ● f2f – face to face
● cu – see you ● brb – be right back
● tia – thanks in advance

CORE RULES OF NETIQUETTE

Netiquette, or network etiquette, is concerned with the "proper" way to communicate in an online environment. Consider
the following "rules," adapted from Virginia Shea's The Core Rules of Netiquette, whenever you communicate in the virtual
world.
Rule 1: Remember the Human
● When communicating electronically, whether through email, instant message, discussion post, text, or some other
method, practice the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. Remember, your written
words are read by real people, all deserving of respectful communication. Before you press "send" or "submit,"
ask yourself, "Would I be okay with this if someone else had written it?"

Rule 2: Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life
● While it can be argued that standards of behavior may be different in the virtual world, they certainly should not be
lower. You should do your best to act within the laws and ethical manners of society whenever you inhabit
"cyberspace." Would you behave rudely to someone face-to-face? On most occasions, no. Neither should you
behave this way in the virtual world.

Rule 3: Know where you are in cyberspace

● "Netiquette varies from domain to domain." (Shea, 1994) Depending on where you are in the virtual world, the
same written communication can be acceptable in one area, where it might be considered inappropriate in
another. What you text to a friend may not be appropriate in an email to a classmate or colleague. Can you think
of another example?

Rule 4: Respect other people's time and bandwidth

● Electronic communication takes time: time to read and time in which to respond. Most people today lead busy
lives, just like you do, and don't have time to read or respond to frivolous emails or discussion posts. As a virtual
world communicator, it is your responsibility to make sure that the time spent reading your words isn't wasted.
Make your written communication meaningful and to the point, without extraneous text or superfluous graphics or
attachments that may take forever to download.

Rule 5: Make yourself look good online

● One of the best things about the virtual world is the lack of judgment associated with your physical appearance,
sound of your voice, or the clothes you wear (unless you post a video of yourself singing Karaoke in a clown
outfit.) You will, however, be judged by the quality of your writing, so keep the following tips in mind:
● Always check for spelling and grammar errors
● Know what you're talking about and state it clearly
● Be pleasant and polite

Rule 6: Share expert knowledge

● The Internet offers its users many benefits; one is the ease in which information can be shared or accessed and in
fact, this "information sharing" capability is one of the reasons the Internet was founded. So in the spirit of the
Internet's "founding fathers," share what you know! When you post a question and receive intelligent answers,
share the results with others. Are you an expert at something? Post resources and references about your subject
matter. Recently expanded your knowledge about a subject that might be of interest to others? Share that as well.

Rule 7: Help keep flame wars under control

● What is meant by "flaming" and "flame wars?" "Flaming is what people do when they express a strongly held
opinion without holding back any emotion." (Shea, 1994). As an example, think of the kinds of passionate
comments you might read on a sports blog. While "flaming" is not necessarily forbidden in virtual communication,
"flame wars," when two or three people exchange angry posts between one another, must be controlled or the
camaraderie of the group could be compromised. Don't feed the flames; extinguish them by guiding the
discussion back to a more productive direction.

Rule 8: Respect other people's privacy

● Depending on what you are reading in the virtual world, be it an online class discussion forum, Facebook page, or
an email, you may be exposed to some private or personal information that needs to be handled with care.
Perhaps someone is sharing some medical news about a loved one or discussing a situation at work. What do
you think would happen if this information "got into the wrong hands?" Embarrassment? Hurt feelings? Loss of a
job? Just as you expect others to respect your privacy, so should you respect the privacy of others. Be sure to err
on the side of caution when deciding to discuss or not to discuss virtual communication.

Rule 9: Don't abuse your power

● Just like in face-to-face situations, there are people in cyberspace who have more "power" than others. They have
more expertise in technology or they have years of experience in a particular skill or subject matter. Maybe it's you
who possesses all of this knowledge and power! Just remember: knowing more than others do or having more
 power than others may have does not give you the right to take advantage of anyone. Think of Rule 1: Remember
the human.

Rule 10: Be forgiving of other people's mistakes

● Not everyone has the same amount of experience working in the virtual world. And not everyone knows the rules
of netiquette. At some point, you will see a stupid question, read an unnecessarily long response, or encounter
misspelled words; when this happens, practice kindness and forgiveness as you would hope someone would do if
you had committed the same offense. If it's a minor "offense," you might want to let it slide. If you feel compelled
to respond to a mistake, do so in a private email rather than a public forum.