Unit rationale, description and aim
Given its increasing reliance on advanced digital technologies and data accessibility, contemporary healthcare practice is faced with a range of complex ethical and legal challenges that need to be carefully understood and addressed. Ranging from issues concerning the ownership and secure use of patient data, to issues in research ethics, and the uses of artificial intelligence in therapeutic decision making, powerful new and emerging technologies raise many issues that require careful consideration. This unit names and explores such challenges with the aim of equipping students with the knowledge and skills to think, judge and respond appropriately on the basis of clear ethical principles, to current and emerging challenges in professional practice, thereby ensuring respect for human dignity whilst working for the common good. In so doing, it also provides insights into the larger social and commercial contexts within which clinical and healthcare management decisions are made.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Analyse key aspects of the social, clinical and ma...
Learning Outcome 01
Critically analyse the benefits and associated eth...
Learning Outcome 02
Apply understanding of the benefits and risks of d...
Learning Outcome 03
Content
Topics will include:
- Key concepts such as privacy, confidentiality, anonymity and deidentification, and general principles relating to the ethical and legal use of patient data;
- Measuring the value of health information, and the justification for the storage/use of data;
- Complexities concerning health data security issues (e.g., concerning opt ins and opt outs relating to databases);
- Ownership, use and confidentiality of genetic profiles;
- The ‘dual-use’ dilemma issue, particularly as it pertains to public health and the reuse of data acquired for other purposes;
- The use of individual and agglomerated data in healthcare research ethics;
- The use of pharmaceutical and substance abuse information;
- Issues raised by the use of artificial intelligence (e.g., machine learning and predictive modelling) in digital healthcare contexts, including the deferral of human judgement and the algorithmic design of ethical values into systems;
- Tensions between confidentiality and appropriate transparency relating to adoption records;
Assessment strategy and rationale
This unit’s assessment strategy is to facilitate and examine understanding of key concepts, principles and theories, and to then encourage and assess the application of this material to workplace healthcare contexts. The assessment tasks enable participants to synthesise and deepen their learning, while also assessing their success in doing so.
The first assessment task requires participants to take their understanding of early unit material and to utilise this as they enter into dialogue with some of the scholarly literature in the field. The focus here is on understanding, analysis and reflection. The second task requires them to integrate and apply this learning to challenging workplace realities. Both assessments provide a strong, practical connection between unit learning outcomes and participants’ professional roles.
Overview of assessments
Critical reflection piece: Participants engage w...
Critical reflection piece: Participants engage with two scholarly sources that take different ethical positions on an issue of importance in digital health.
The purpose is to facilitate participant engagement with key concepts, principles and theories, and to open a dialogue with scholarly literature in this field.
50%
Integrative Case Study : Participants apply conce...
Integrative Case Study: Participants apply concepts, principles and theories developed in the unit to a specific workplace challenge relating to digital healthcare.
The purpose of this piece is to apply unit learnings directly to workplace contexts.
50%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
ACU Online
This unit will be delivered in online mode using an active learning approach to support students in the exploration of knowledge essential to the discipline. Students are provided with choice and variety in how they learn. Students are encouraged to contribute to asynchronous weekly discussions. Active learning opportunities provide students with opportunities to practice and apply their learning in situations similar to their future professions. Activities encourage students to bring their own examples to demonstrate understanding, application and engage constructively with their peers. Students receive regular and timely feedback on their learning, which includes information on their progress.