ICT Notes Case Essay Example for Free

ICT Notes Case Essay Whenever personal details or other private information is stored about people, it is regulated by the data Protection Act and organisations storing such information must register with the data protection bureau. It gives rights to data subjects (i.e. in this case the patients who have specific data about themselves stored on the health centre system). Data is subject to 8 main regulations to protect the rights and privacy of individuals. These are: 1. Personal data shall be processed fairly and lawfully. 2. Personal data shall be obtained only for one or more specified and lawful purposes. see more:annual function speech 3. Personal data shall be adequate, relevant and not excessive in relation to the purpose for which it is used. 4. Personal data shall be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date. 5. Personal data shall not be kept for longer than is necessary for the specified purpose. 6. Personal data shall be processed in accordance with the rights of data subjects under the act (patients have the right to view and correct information held, except in cases of crime or certain government agencies). 7. Data holders should have appropriate measures in place to protect the data against loss, theft or corruption. 8. Personal data shall not be transferred to a country outside the EEC unless that country ensures an adequate level of protection for the rights of data subjects. Computer Misuse Act 1990 This law was introduced to cope with the problems of computer hackers and viruses. The Act was introduced to recognise these three offences: 1. Unauthorised access to computer material If a member of the health centre staff uses another staff members password to log onto their user area, this is illegal. Even if they dont change, delete or damage anything, they are still guilty of accessing materials without authorisation and this is illegal. 2. Unauthorised access with intent to commit or facilitate a crime The difference between this and the first offence is that the person gaining access to someone elses system is doing so with the sole purpose of doing something illegal e.g. fraud, blackmail etc. This might mean that they had to guess or steal the password in order to get into someones user area or their bank account. 3. Unauthorised modification of computer material This offence relates to the deletion or changes made to files with the intent to cause damage to an individual or to the health centres computer system. This offence also covers planting viruses to other peoples systems. Writing a virus technically isnt a crime; but if you knowingly transmit a virus to others, you are guilty under this section of the Computer Misuse Act. Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1989 This act was passed to make it illegal to copy files, software etc without permission. The law can be broken in three ways: 1. Using software without a proper licence. The health centre must ensure it purchases a site licence which allows everyone at the centre to use the software. 2. Using text or images from the internet and using them without the copyrights owners (the authors) permission or acknowledging where the health centre got them from. 3. A member of staff copying a computer program at the health centre and then running it on their computer at home without permission from the copyright holder. 4. Health and Safety Issues Relating to Computer Use The health centre must ensure under the Health and Safety Regulations 1992 that they provide a safe working environment for anyone using computers. The health centre must :Ensure that the computer equipment is safe. 1. Ensure workstations meet the required standards for health and safety i.e. provide proper computer chairs, foot supports, lighting etc. 2. Plan work so the staff have regular breaks which allow them to do non-computer work. 3. Pay for regular eyesight tests for staff using computers regularly. 4. Provide health and safety training and information to all staff. There are various health problems associated with the regular use of computers. Here are some of the most common problems and what can be done to reduce the risks: Health Problem Cause Solution Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) * Repetitive finger, hand or arm movements. * Poor posture. * Badly designed workstations. * Ensure wrists are straight and elbows are close to your sides when typing. * Ensure posture is correct. * Take regular breaks. Eye strain * Staring at the VDU for long periods. * Poor lighting, glare from the screen, flickering screen. * Use a screen filter to reduce glare and keep your eyes at least 18 inches away from the screen. * Ensure appropriate lighting. * Have regular eyesight tests. * Take regular breaks. Back/Circulation problems * Poor posture. * Sitting all day in front of a computer. * Ensure posture is correct. * Take regular breaks and walk to improve circulation. The use of ICT when Paying Staff WagesStaff at the health centre are paid using a computerised system and their wages are paid straight into their bank account. The benefits to the health centre for having a computerised system: 1. It is quicker and more accurate than calculating wages manually. 2. The added security that wages are paid straight into bank accounts i.e. Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) money is transferred from the health centres account to the individual staff members account. Employees at the health centre are paid weekly. Payroll uses a system called batch processing, this is where all data is stored up and then all processed together. In order to calculate how much each employee should be paid the following inputs, processing and outputs must take place. Inputs Processing Outputs Employee payroll number, name, address, DOB, marital status, N I number, hourly rate/annual salary, pension details, holiday entitlement, days off sick etc * Employee record will be read by the system. * Each employee will be paid by the system. * Each employee record will be updated by the system * The payslip * Money is transferred from the health centre bank account to each employees bank account. * Report for the health centre detailing updates, payment etc Methods of Maintaining Data SecurityData is invaluable to the health centre if they lose their data it is very hard to replace. Loss of data would cripple the health centre in the short term and may even jeopardise its existence as a service. Measures must therefore be in place to ensure data security. Security can be viewed in terms of physical security, access security and data security.Physical Security Equipment can be made more secure by: 1. Keeping a record of all serial numbers on each piece of equipment and mark the health centres name and postcode on all equipment so the police can identify stolen property easily. 2. The health centre could have a security alarm system and surveillance system on the building as well as ensuring that windows and doors are locked after surgery hours to prevent access. 3. The closing of blinds on windows and switching off monitors at night will make the computers less visible. 4. The use of fireproof doors and smoke alarms will help reduce the risk of fire in the building. Access Security Vast amounts of data is lost due to carelessness by employees e.g. not saving work, deleting files by accident, not saving files with sensible file names and therefore are difficult to find etc. Limiting each employees access to the system with help to ensure against the loss of data to the health centres system. 1. Password -this is still the major line of defence. Restrictions can be imposed on length of password and restrictions on the times a user can access the system. 2. Firewall this is a piece of software which sits between the health centres network and the rest of the internet. It will monitor the system for any breaches of security and protect the health centres information and computing resources by allowing only messages conforming to certain protocols (agreed set of rules) to be sent/received. 3. Anti-Virus Programs this software is used to detect viruses and to limit the damage by removing them. Data Security To prevent the loss of patients records etc the health centre needs to ensure that regular back-ups are made of the data on the system using suitable backing storage (also known as secondary storage). Types of Backing Storage Name of Device Advantages Disadvantages Hard Disks * Large storage capacity 20 gigabytes or more. * Faster to access * Any problems with the hard drive may mean all data stored on it will be lost Floppy Disks * Small and portable * Data can be transferred easily between different computers. * Disks can be made read-only which will reduce the chances of data being accidentally overwritten. * Small storage capacity 1.44 megabytes. * Accessing data is slow * Being floppy it is easily damaged Optical Disks e.g. CDs DVDs * Direct access to the data. * Faster to access * CD-Rs only allow data to be written onto them only once The above list is not exhaustive and you should explore other alternatives.Website Design and Hosting There are many reasons why businesses or individuals have a website. In the case of the health centre it has a website to provide information and services to patients e.g. providing advice on minor ailments, surgery hours etc. Some other purposes of having a website: Type of Site Reason Personal * Sharing pictures/stories with friends and family Business * Inform customers of their products/services * Company news, events etc * Recruit staff E-Commerce * Advertising their products/services for sale * Offering home shopping facilities Educational * Offer information on training * On-line encyclopaedias News and Entertainment * Latest world news * Sports information A website is made up of one or more web pages. A web page is created by writing code in a language called HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) which was developed especially to create web pages. There are many web page designs. Most good web pages share some common elements: Web Page Element Its Purpose Banner This is the area at the top of the page and is often the same on all the other pages of the web site. It may contain a company logo, search box etc Menu System This area provides navigation around the site Content Area The main content of the web page is here. It may contain, text, images, sound etc. Footer This area will often contain copyright notices, terms and conditions etc. Navigation (method of moving around the site) is important especially if the site is made up of several web pages. There are 3 main methods to of using navigation: 1. The Hyperlink when you click your mouse on a navigation hyperlink it will take you to another page. This page could be on the same website or a different website (external link). 2. The Menu System the navigation menu gives you a choice of which page you want to view next. A menu is a set of hyperlinks grouped together. There are various menu styles such as a side menu which normally sits on the left hand side of the page. 3. Hotspot this is an area on the web page which when clicked will allow you to jump to another page. It is a way for the designer to make the hyperlink invisible or for them to allow you to click on an image in order to jump somewhere else. When you hover your mouse over a hotspot the cursor changes to a little hand There are a number of ways to create and design a web page: Design Methods Software Advantages Disadvantages Straight from a Microsoft Office application * Word * PowerPoint * Simple, just save as a web page * Can only create a basic page Text Editor * Notepad * Low cost as Notepad is free with windows * You have to know a lot about HTML code * Easy to make a mistake as all the code is written by hand Web Authoring Package * Microsoft Front Page * Macromedias Dreamweaver * It will provide ready made templates * Easy to add/remove pages without breaking the site navigation * Expensive * Takes time to learn In order for other people to see the health centres web site it must be placed on a web server. This is called hosting. A web server is made up of 2 things: * A computer * Running on the computer is a piece of software called web server software. The website is loaded on the servers hard disk, when a request is made to view a web page from the health centres site the server finds it on the hard disk and sends a copy to the computer that has made the request. The WWW is made up of millions of web servers, each connected to the internet. In order to view the health centres website, the requesting computer must be running another piece of software called the web browser. The Use of Systems Flowcharts Flow diagrams are a way to work out the best order to do something. System flowcharts show exactly how the data moves e.g. the health centre could produce a system flowchart to create a new patient record. The main symbols used to develop flowcharts are: Start/End The terminator symbol marks the starting or ending point of the process. It usually contains the word Start or End. Process A box can represent a single step (add two cups of flour), or and entire sub-process (make bread) within a larger process. Decision A decision or branching point. Lines representing different decisions emerge from different points of the diamond. Input/Output Represents material or information entering or leaving the process, such as customer order (input) or a product (output). Flow Line Lines indicate the sequence of steps and the direction of flow. Data storage Indicates a step where data gets stored. For Example Save Orders Delay Indicates a delay in the process. For example Wait 1 day There are benefits and drawbacks to using system flowcharts. Here are some of them: Advantages Disadvantages Flowcharts are good way to communicate the details of a process to all concerned e.g. programmers use them to write commands that will create the computer system. Some processes are so complex that it becomes difficult to represent them clearly in a flowchart. Flowcharts can help people analyse problems, highlight bottlenecks and is a good way to document a process. If an alteration needs to be made to the system, the flowchart usually needs to be redrawn. If it is a complicated flowchart, this can require a lot of work. Flowcharts enable an organisation to have a record of standard business processes. People need to understand what the flowchart means and what the different symbols represent. You cannot give a flowchart to a novice and expect them to understand it. The Use and Analysis of Survey Data The goal in any survey is to collect accurate and complete information. In order for a survey to be effective and provide meaningful data it should be conducted in a uniform manner i.e. all respondents must be asked the same question in the same way. Conducting a face-to-face interview and the completion of a questionnaire are 2 popular ways information is collected. Advantages/Disadvantages of Interviews Advantage Disadvantage Questions are fully completed as respondents can clarify points further with the interviewer. Interviews have to be pre-planned. A time and a place has to be convenient to both individuals. An individual may cancel. Detailed information can be gathered in a variety of formats e.g. written, voice recorded. Interviews can cause a change in behaviour and respondents may feel pressurised into giving an answer they would normally not give. The interviewer can give feedback to the respondent e.g. Thats important to know. This can be used to keep the respondent talking and therefore is likely to give more in-depth answers. Interviews are time consuming, costly and information taken by the interviewer may be too detailed, illegible etc Advantages/Disadvantages of Questionnaires Advantage Disadvantage Can reach a geographically wide spread area. Poor completion and return rate. Many people can be reached in this way quickly and cheaply Points cannot be clarified further and writing may be illegible. Easy to conduct statistical analysis on. If they are simple they have little information. If they are complex they may be difficult to understand. The health centre relies on information being up-to-date and accurate in order to plan or make decisions in the short/long term e.g. depending on the number of patients the health centre has will dictate the number of doctors it has on call. The type of information gathering techniques used will depend on the type of information required: * Quantitative information This is based on numerical facts, figures and statistics e.g. number of patients who are male, sales figures etc. * Qualitative information This provides depth and detailed information. It takes into account views, judgements and opinions etc. The type of questions asked will determine the type of responses given: * Closed ended questions These can usually be answered by a simple yes or no. They are restrictive and can be answered in a few words e.g. does this answer your question? Or can I help you? * Open-ended questions They require a more broad and lengthy answer and are used to gain more information from the respondent e.g. When you say [topic], what do you mean? Or What do you mean by [topic]? Hardware Software that could be used in a Health Centre Hardware Device Function Health Centre Applications Keyboard Input Patient detail input, database, spreadsheets. Mouse Input Most computer users prefer to use this. Scanner Input Scan hand written notes into the system (maybe from previous doctor). Digital camera Input Photo ID held on the system Temperature sensor (thermistor) Input (sensor) Environmental and safety control systems Smoke detector Input (sensor) Environmental and safety control systems Proximity detector Input (sensor) Environmental and safety control systems (doors) VDU Monitor Output Any application requiring Graphic User Interface (GUI) or information display. Receptionist: to up-date appointments Doctor: to view patients history Flat Screen VDU Output As above to save space LCD Display Output As above using laptops or in bright sunlight. Have limited viewing angle. Inkjet printer Output High quality low volume graphic publications and reports. Laser printer Output Volume printing such as welcome letters to new patients, mail shots to advise patients of changes in surgery hours etc. Dot matrix Printer Output Where multi copy output is required e.g. prescriptions. Software Programme Function Theatre Applications Database I/P Process O/P GUI Patient appointment system. Mail shot production. Spreadsheet I/P Process O/P GUI Financial analysis and reporting. Control programme I/P Process O/P GUI Environmental and safety control systems e.g. fire safety system. Word Processor I/P Process O/P GUI General office purposes. Patient letters and mail shots. Control Systems A control system is a system of hardware and software thats used to control the operation of a piece of equipment. Two types of control systems: * Dedicated: these are basic systems that carry out a pre-programmed set of instructions e.g. traffic-light system- lights change at fixed time intervals. * Computer-controlled: these use a computer to control the output device, and this computer can be connected to a sensor e.g. pressure pad sensor for automatic doors. Sensors measure physical qualities in the environment such as heat, light, pressure, sound etc. In order for a computer to control something there must be three things present: 1. A means of getting the information into the computer: An INPUT 2. Instructions for the computer to do something with the input: A PROCESS 3. It then has to be able to alter something in the outside world: An OUTPUT Most computer controlled systems use a feedback loop which is when information from a sensor is used to control the output device. The sensor sends signals back to the computer and the computer decides whether to make any changes based on this information. This happens again and again in the loop system. The flowchart below shows a loop system which represents a system for monitoring light levels outdoors and turning on a lamp when it gets dark (i.e. when the light intensity is less than 50 ona scale). Computer Controlled Systems Advantages Disadvantages Computers can respond instantly to changes. The system is expensive to purchase Systems can be running 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Special software is needed. Computers can process data quickly and machines can operate faster than humans. If something unexpected happens, the system may not be able to think for itself. In the health centre the possible control systems are: A security alarm system which may have an infra-red sensor which sends a signal when the beam is broken. A heat sensitive sensor in the corner of a room which may detect the presence of a person. Temperature sensors which could be used to control the heating in the health centre. Analogue and Digital Signals Digital and analogue are two different types of transmission systems: * An analogue signal can be represented as a series of sine waves. The term describes any fluctuating or continually changing process. An example of an analogue signal would be the data sent along a telephone landline. An analogue sensor can take a range of values e.g. a heat sensor. * A digital signal has only two values On and Off. Data transmitted or stored with digital technology is expressed as a string of 0s and 1s. Each of these digits is referred to as a bit (and a string of bits that a computer can address individually as a group is a byte). An example of a digital signal would be the data sent into a television via a digital cable. An analogue sensor can only be On or Off e.g. pressure pad sensor. Computers cannot deal with analogue signals and therefore requires an analogue to digital converter (ADC).This is used to change the analogue data into digital data to allow the computer to process the information The ADC is connected between the sensor and the computers input/output port. Once the computer has processed the data, the output often has to be converted to an analogue signal and so a DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter) is used. Database Systems used in a Health Centre A database is an organised collection of data which is organised into fields and records. The main benefit to the health centre for having a database is that it allows them to search quickly for specific patient information. Databases can be: * Flat-File All data is stored in one large table which can be viewed by opening one data file. It can be created using a database system or a spreadsheet. It is ideal for small amounts of data that needs to be human readable or edited by hand. With this type of system there is unnecessary duplicating of data which can mean that mistakes are more likely to happen during data input. * Relational Data is split up into sensible groups and then stored in separate tables. In the case of the health centre they could have a table with customer data, a table with appointment data etc. All the data is linked together by key fields and a database management system (DBMS). This means that data does not have to be duplicated. Relational databases also have built in functions which allow retrieval, editing and sorting of data to be much quicker.