Konnichi wa, welcome to my blogs first posting!
Today I will introduce and present to you what occupational therapy is, and the material that we covered in our tutorial one session which was established around ‘Information Technology and Ethical issues’.
**So, what is Occupational therapy? Willand & Spackman (2008) provides the following definition of Occupational Therapy: "Occupational therapy is as a profession concerned with promoting health and well being through occupation. The primary goal of occupational therapy is to enable people to participate in the activities of everyday life. Occupational therapists achieve this outcome by enabling people to do things that will enhance their ability to participate or by modifying the environment to better support participation." Occupational therapists use careful analysis of physical, environmental, psychosocial, mental, spiritual, political and cultural factors to identify barriers to occupation.
**To begin with in tutorial one we were required to provide a definition of information technology and interpret this into our own words, on what we think this definition might cover. As a result of my findings, The Tech Terms Computer Dictionary states that information technology “refers to anything related to computing technology, such as networking, hardware, software, the Internet, or the people that work with these technologies. Many companies now have IT departments for managing the computers, networks, and other technical areas of their businesses. IT jobs include computer programming, network administration, computer engineering, Web development, technical support, and many other related occupations”.
-I interpret this definition of information technology to possibly include but am not limited to, telecommunications products such as telephones, information kiosks and transaction machines, World Wide Web sites, multimedia, data bases and office equipment such as copiers and fax machines. Information technology has become a part of our everyday lives and is here to stay!!
-Information technology is an integral part of society, persistently everywhere and relentlessly evolving! The means of communication from in the olden days are now obsolete as the progression of information technology has influenced individual’s livelihood in every day society. An example of this is shown how a 73year old woman once used to communicate by writing letters and sending them at snail pace, and by also making phone calls through ‘telephone exchange’, where as now in this day in age her means of communication has advanced her to using landline phone calls and sending emails via the internet. The majority of the students of New Zealand who are studying and living the independent flatting lifestyles have become reliant on ‘study link’ who pay a direct weekly income into their bank accounts via the internet, which then gets accessed using the computer and chipped away at when the students use their internet banking to pay their bills, compared to how in the past checks or cash was used to pay the bills. It is certainly unmistakable that we would be ‘done for’ without information technology, which our society has become extremely reliant on!
**There are a number of information technology devices and systems that i feel comfortable and competent using such as:
-Cell phones: can competently use its systems of phone calling, texting and taking pictures.
-Computers/laptops: Can competently use the systems of internet, windows, word processing programmes e.g. Microsoft office, Microsoft word, emailing communications, calendars, diaries/appointment scheduling. Social networking e.g. face book, bebo, twitter. Multimedia e.g. photos, videos, moving making, YouTube, Skype.
-Mp3/IPods-Can competently upload and listen to music using computer systems which connect with these devices
**Information technology devices and systems are predominantly being used as an intervention tool with clients in Occupational therapy practice, some examples include: -Internet: provides a source for clients to access connections s and opportunities from the outside world such as connecting with people, reading global news updates, education on information that’s new and old. -Video cameras/cameras-Provide a rich source for occupational therapists to record progress, for example, client’s progress, house modifications and record of client recovery. -Mobile phones: provide a tool for effective communication between the clients and the occupational therapist, for example text notifications of when there next interventions together are. -Nintendo Wii- effective tool for clients to keep active, exercise and co-ordinate body and mind skills using a device which offers the opportunity to have fun when performing it.
-By means of clients accessing information technology devices and systems comes the issue of the opportunity for clients to abuse this privilege and power by miss using the primary purpose of them. This means that systems would need to be put in place by the occupational therapist to monitor and correctly control clients accessing these devices and systems.
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I can easily envisage occupational therapists adopting the use of information technology as a tool of practice due to the constant inventions and progressions of information technologies. I support this strongly as Information technology devices and systems provide key opportunities for individuals who have disabilities, injuries and bodily or mentally impairments/limitations to overwhelmingly communicate with others, where in some cases they can’t communicate without it.
The following website link provides you with information on how Virtual Reality Technology is currently being used as an Occupational therapy treatment tool in spinal cord injury rehabilitation
http://www.nrh.ie/research-education/research-abstracts/virtual-reality-technology-as-an-occupational-therapy-treatment-tool/
-Awareness, experience, and understanding of information technology will enable occupational therapist in practice to effectively pass their knowledge on to others to enable them to have the best learning experiences and opportunities possible, which is very essential.
**It’s evident that ethical implications arise from the capturing, sharing and transferring of information via IT devices (e.g. mobile phones) or systems (e.g. internet. Some examples include: the capability for false information and false identities to be communicated; the ability for private and personal information to be accessed by the wrong people; and information being revelled to the world which doesn’t have informed consent.
**According to the (world intellectual property organisation) “Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind: inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce. IP is divided into two categories: Industrial property, which includes inventions (patents), trademarks, industrial designs, and geographic indications of source; and Copyright, which includes literary and artistic works such as novels, poems and plays, films, musical works, artistic works such as drawings, paintings, photographs and sculptures, and architectural designs. Rights related to copyright include those of performing artists in their performances, producers of phonograms in their recordings, and those of broadcasters in their radio and television programs”.
-I interpret intellectual property to be knowledge, information and resources that are intangible.
-Examples of considerations of intellectual property and information technology in OT practice are: when doing an art session with clients, the therapist doesn’t claim the work to be originally there’s when manipulating an artist’s ideas and methods into their own work; and when doing a cooking assessment recipes aren’t claimed to be there’s.
**“Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights and that recognizes the dignity of every human being” (Social justice, 2007).
-I interpret social justice to mean that all people deserve to be treated equally and fairly despite of their personal, physical and cultural differences.
-Social justice is evident in occupational therapy practice, for example, all clients using information technologies deserved the equal right and attention regardless of their ‘impairments’, ‘disabilities’ or ‘culture’, e.g. an exclusive brethren client or elderly person should be provided with the opportunity to have access to computers, even though the occupational therapist has prior knowledge that they may decline the offer.
**According to (Nash, 2007) “Informed consent is a phrase often used in law to indicate that the consent a person gives meets certain minimum standards. As a literal matter, in the absence of fraud, it is redundant”.
-I interpret informed consent to be permission that is granted by an individual, whose information or knowledge is needed to be used or displayed in future resources.
-Informed consent is evident in occupational therapy practice, for example when the occupational therapist wants to do an assessment on a client they have to ask and get granted permission to do so.
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APA reference list:
-The Tech Terms Computer Dictionary. Information technology. Retrieved March 22nd 2011 from: http://www.techterms.com/definition/it
-Willand & Spackman (2008). Occupational Therapy is art and science (11th ed), p. 16; Lippincott Qilliams & Wilkins.
