Date: Apr 10, 2012

High Tech and Healthcare

What are the Ethical and Privacy Issues of Internet Cloud Based Apps and Social Media (ICASM)?

Hofstra Symposium, Tuesday, April 24, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY … The Hofstra University Bioethics Center, with support from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law and the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ-School of Medicine, will be hosting a symposium to address the ethical use of Internet cloud-based apps and social media (ICASM) in healthcare.  This event, scheduled for Tuesday, April 24, 2012, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. is the inaugural event of the  Hofstra University Bioethics Center.

According to Alan Jakimo, M.B.A, J.D., Special Professor of Law at Hofstra, the symposium is “designed to address, across a broad spectrum, the ethical implications, as well as the legal implications of the use of ICASM.” (Watch Video with Professor Jakimo at www.hofstra.edu/ICASM.)

In this age of tablet computers and social media, the sharing of files and patient information over the Internet and the use of social media for patient support and professional collaboration opens up great possibilities for the treatment of patients. However, this exciting technology also exposes a myriad of questions of how to protect the privacy of patients and additionally how medical information should be used and shared among healthcare providers, researchers, medical students, legal professionals and even health insurers.

Professor Jakimo references the use of tablet computers in medical schools, hospitals and doctors’ offices. Even in the privacy of one’s home, a patient’s vital signs may be monitored by an implanted device and transmitted via the Internet to a doctor or medical team. Professor Jakimo also points out that there are also many support groups available through social media outlets for patients who want to connect with one another and share their experiences. While this is a great way to exchange information and gain emotional support, again issues of privacy and ethics are raised, as well as questions about who may be monitoring these groups and how information collected on these sites might be used.

The symposium will consist of four panel discussions, a luncheon, and a dinner. The panels will focus on:

*The context in which patients are using this technology and how they can benefit from it.
*The overall implications of this technology for setting healthcare policy.
*Use of this technology in a clinical setting.
And
*How this technology will be used for the discovery, development and dissemination of new medical products and new therapies.

The luncheon discussion will focus on how this technology intertwines with the field of genomics, and the dinner talk will take a more philosophical focus on how all of this information fits into a broader social and political setting.

The location of the symposium is Hofstra’s Leo A. Guthart Cultural Center Theater, located on the first floor of the Axinn Library, South Campus.  Registration is $75. There are discounts available for faculty and staff of North Shore-LIJ Health System, for matriculated non-Hofstra students with ID and for senior citizens. Members of the Hofstra community may attend the panel discussions for free upon presentation of a current HofstraCard. The luncheon and dinner are priced separately at $25 and $50, respectively.

Physicians may attend this symposium for Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits. Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits are also available.

For more information and to register, call the Hofstra Cultural Center at 516-463-5669 or visit www.hofstra.edu/ICASM.
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Related Link: Conference Registration