Centuries ago confidentiality was not considered to be of upmost importance when it came to keeping peoples’ information from spreading throughout the community. There was no organized way of keeping records, which made information easy to assess and spread. In recent decades, the use of digital media in various careers has become popular and accepted by society. People are able to assess their medical records by signing onto an online network and pulling up their information. Going to the mailbox is soon to be a thing of the past, because we are now able to receive bills and important records through a computer system. Modern society has become technological advanced and demands for businesses and agencies to conform to their desires. The
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Many practitioners worry that the use of digital media in practice will make client privacy harder to maintain. The use of modern technology in social work practice opens the door for a variety of ethical issues and possibility of malpractice suits. The issue of incorporating technology into social practice has raised so much concern that the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) decided to issue a special document that outlines specific standards. The NASW Standards for Technology and Social Work Practice (2005) was created to help guide social workers that use modern media with their clients. The NASW Code of Ethics (2008) also provides a section that deals with confidentiality and the use of technology. There are various policies and laws set in place to help protect client privacy that will also be discussed throughout this …show more content…
After reading the NASW/ASWB Standards for Technology and Social Work Practice, I somewhat disagree with the critics. The critics believe that the document is not very specific and does not give social workers a clear guideline on how to properly incorporate digital media into their practice. However, the document was fairly detailed and provided workers with a good overview on what is expected of them when delivering electronic services. Because the document was published in 2005 and has yet to be updated, I could see why people would have some complaints about its effectiveness. If it was updated to include recent data, it would be a well written document that could serve as a good guideline. The NASW Code of Ethics has been updated in recent years and possesses more recent information then the other document. However, the use of technology is only mentioned in two sections of the document. The use of digital media affects the clients as whole and should be addressed in every section as it relates to the client. After reading on HIPAA, I was surprised to learn that it was mainly targeted at electronic transmission of data. Because most information is currently being spread through online networks, this policy is needed to help maintain
Many practitioners worry that the use of digital media in practice will make client privacy harder to maintain. The use of modern technology in social work practice opens the door for a variety of ethical issues and possibility of malpractice suits. The issue of incorporating technology into social practice has raised so much concern that the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) decided to issue a special document that outlines specific standards. The NASW Standards for Technology and Social Work Practice (2005) was created to help guide social workers that use modern media with their clients. The NASW Code of Ethics (2008) also provides a section that deals with confidentiality and the use of technology. There are various policies and laws set in place to help protect client privacy that will also be discussed throughout this …show more content…
After reading the NASW/ASWB Standards for Technology and Social Work Practice, I somewhat disagree with the critics. The critics believe that the document is not very specific and does not give social workers a clear guideline on how to properly incorporate digital media into their practice. However, the document was fairly detailed and provided workers with a good overview on what is expected of them when delivering electronic services. Because the document was published in 2005 and has yet to be updated, I could see why people would have some complaints about its effectiveness. If it was updated to include recent data, it would be a well written document that could serve as a good guideline. The NASW Code of Ethics has been updated in recent years and possesses more recent information then the other document. However, the use of technology is only mentioned in two sections of the document. The use of digital media affects the clients as whole and should be addressed in every section as it relates to the client. After reading on HIPAA, I was surprised to learn that it was mainly targeted at electronic transmission of data. Because most information is currently being spread through online networks, this policy is needed to help maintain