Study Guide

1. Overview of Medical Safety

   As technology has grown computers have become more important to our daily lives. This can be seen today in the medical field where computers are trusted with our lives. A great deal of medical equipment is computer-controlled and doctors rely on the information produced to analyze patient problems.
   • What concerns arise from computers and medicine?
     • A Medical Risk of Computers The Risks Digest
     • More risks of non-standard medical interfaces The Risks Digest
   • Are there any risks involved with the computer analysis of patients?

2. Medical Computing and Software

   There must be software to facilitate the use of computers in medical applications. With software there comes the likely possibility there will be bugs. There have been examples of bugs in software that have proved deadly, such as the Therac-25 incident and other more recent failures.
   • What ethical responsibilities do software designers have for devolping medical software?
     • Technology and Ethnics Harry S. Rafkin, MD
   • Who should be held responsible if the software fails?
     • Legal issues: what if something goes wrong? The Metanoia Guide
   • How should the FDA regulate medical computer systems and software?
     • FDA plays hardball with software Greg Borzo
     • FDA Strengthens Standards for New Medical Devices Sharon Snider

3. Telemedicine

   Telemedicine is the use of telecommunications to provide medical information and services. Telecommunications used can include the internet and teleconferencing. What is Telemedicine? Nancy Brown
   • What ethical issues are involved with telemedicine?
     • TECHTALK: Security of Internet-based Telemedicine Systems Dave Swartz, Ph.D
   • Legal Issues in Telemedicine