ICT Notes Case Essay Example for Free

ICT Notes Case EssayWhenever personal details or an new(prenominal)(prenominal) private reading is stored about people, it is regulated by the information Protection Act and organisations storing such information must register with the info nurseion bureau. It founds rights to information subjects (i.e. in this case the patient roles who shake specific information about themselves stored on the wellness revolve about organisation). Data is subject to 8 main regulations to protect the rights and retirement of individuals. These atomic number 181. ad hominem data sh wholly be processed fairly and lawfull.2. Personal data sh any be obtained further for one or to a greater extent specified and lawful purposes. see moreannual function pitch3. Personal data shall be adequate, relevant and not excessive in relation to the purpose for which it is drilld.4. Personal data shall be accurate and, where necessary, unbroken 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 answer (patients abide the right to charm and correct information held, except in cases of abuse or certain government agencies).7. Data holders should have appropriate measures in place to protect the data over against passage, theft or corruption.8. Personal data shall not be transferred to a country outside the europium unless that country disciplines an adequate level of protection for the rights of data subjects.Computer Misuse Act 1990This law was introduced to cargon with the problems of data processor hackers and viruses. The Act was introduced to recognise these trio offences1. Unauthorised get at to electronic computer materialIf a segment of the wellness centre staff uses another staff members pass develop to log onto their user atomic number 18a, this is illegal. Even if they dont change, call off or damage anyth ing, they ar still guilty of accessing materials without authorisation and this is illegal.2. Unauthorised access with captive to clothe or facilitate a crimeThe difference between this and the first offence is that the person gaining access to someone elses administration is doing so with the sole purpose of doing something illegal e.g. fraud, black light etc. This might average that they had to guess or steal the password in coif to get into someones user area or their bank account.3. Unauthorised modification of computer materialThis offence relates to the deletion or changes do to files with the intent to cause damage to an individual or to the wellness 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 1989This act was passed to make it illegal to copy files, bundle product etc without permission. The law loafer be broken in three authoritys1. Using software without a proper licence. The health centre must ensure it purchases a site licence which supplys 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 caterpillar tread it on their computer at sign of the zodiac without permission from the copyright holder.4. wellness and Safety Issues Relating to Computer UseThe health centre must ensure under the Health and Safety Regulations 1992 that they add 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 old-hats for health and safety i.e. provide proper computer chairs, foot supports, lighting etc.2. Plan work so the staff have tied(p) 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 send word be done to reduce the risksHealth ProblemCauseSolutionRepetitive Strain Injury (RSI)* Repetitive finger, hand or spike movements.* ugly pusher.* Badly designed workstations.* Ensure wrists are straight and elbows are close to your sides when typing.* Ensure passenger car is correct.* Take regular breaks.Eye strain* Staring at the visual display unit for long periods.* Poor lighting, magnificence 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.* know regular eyesight tests.* Take reg ular breaks.Back/Circulation problems* Poor posture.* Sitting all twenty-four hours 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 system1. It is quicker and more accurate than calculating wages manually.2. The added certificate 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 company to calculate how often each employee should be paid the following inputs, processing and turnouts must retain place. stimulants bea r uponOutputsEmployee payroll number, name, address, DOB, marital status, N I number, hourly rate/annual salary, pension details, holiday entitlement, old age off sick etc* Employee record allow be read by the system.* Each employee lead 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, pay etcMethods of Maintaining Data security measure departmentData 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 origination as a service. Measures must thence be in place to ensure data security. Security target be viewed in terms of physical security, access security and data security.Physical SecurityEquipment stub be made more secure by1. Keeping a record of all nonparallel numbers o n each append 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 crowd outproof doors and smoke alarms will help reduce the risk of fire in the building.Access SecurityVast amounts of data is incapacitated due to carelessness by employees e.g. not saving work, deleting files by accident, not saving files with sensible file names and therefore are exhausting 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 aloofness of password and res trictions on the times a user can access the system.2. Firewall this is a piece of software which sits between the health centres nedeucerk 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 direct/received.3. Anti-Virus Programs this software is employ to detect viruses and to limit the damage by removing them.Data SecurityTo 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 mention of DeviceAdvantagesDisadvantagesHard Disks* Large storage dexterity 20 gigabytes or more.* hurried to access* any(prenominal) problems with the hard drive may mean all data stored on it will be lostFloppy Disks* Small and portable* Data can b e 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 damagedOptical Disks e.g. CDs DVDs* Direct access to the data.* Faster to access* CD-Rs only allow data to be written onto them only onceThe above refer is not exhaustive and you should explore other alternatives. meshworksite Design and HostingThere are many reasons why businesses or individuals have a vanesite. In the case of the health centre it has a website to provide information and serve to patients e.g. providing advice on minor ailments, surgery hours etc. Some other purposes of having a websiteType of Site backgroundPersonal* Sharing pictures/stories with friends and familyBusiness* Inform customers of their products/ serve* Company news, events etc* Recruit staffE-Commerce* Advertising their products/services for sale* Offering home shopping facilitiesEducational* Offer information on training* on-line encyclopaediasNews and Entertainment* Latest world news* Sports informationA website is made up of one or more web pages. A web page is take ind by writing code in a language called HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) which was developed especially to seduce web pages. There are many web page designs. around good web pages share some common elementsWeb page ElementIts PurposeBannerThis 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 brook a company logo, search recession etcMenu SystemThis area provides piloting around the siteContent AreaThe main content of the web page is here. It may contain, text, images, sound etc.FooterThis 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 navi gation1. The Hyperlink when you filter 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 survival 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 leftfield hand side of the page.3. Hotspot this is an area on the web page which when clicked will allow you to arise 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 handThere are a number of ways to bring about and design a web pageDesign MethodsSoftwareAdvantagesDisadvantagesStraight from a Microsoft Office act* Word* PowerPoint* Simple, just save as a web page* Can only create a basic pageT ext Editor* Notepad* Low cost as Notepad is free with windows* You have to know a lot about HTML code* Easy to make a steal as all the code is written by handWeb 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 learnIn order for other people to see the health centres web site it must be placed on a web emcee. 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 periodchartsFlow diagrams are a way to work out the best order to do something. System flow diagrams 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 develop/EndThe terminator symbol marks the starting or ending point of the process. It usually contains the word Start or End.ProcessA box can represent a single measuring (add two cups of flour), or and entire sub-process (make bread) within a larger process.DecisionA decision or branching point. Lines representing different decisions emerge from different points of the diamond.Input/OutputRepresents material or information introduction or leaving the process, such as customer order (input) or a product ( issue).Flow LineLines indicate the sequence of steps and the direction of flow.Data storageIndicates a step where data gets stored. For Example Save OrdersDel ayIndicates a delay in the process. For example Wait 1 dayThere are benefits and drawbacks to using system flowcharts. Here are some of themAdvantagesDisadvantagesFlowcharts 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 multiform 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 DataThe 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 responders must be asked the same question in the same way. Conducting a face-to-face interview and the bound of a questionnaire are 2 popular ways information is collected.Advantages/Disadvantages of InterviewsAdvantageDisadvantageQuestions are fully completed as responsives 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 in addition detailed, illegible etcAdvantages/Disadvantages of QuestionnairesAdvantageDisadvantageCan reach a geographically wide spread area.Poor completion and return rate.Many people can be reached in this way readily and inexpensivelyPoints cannot be clarified further and writing may be illegible.Easy to conduct statistical depth psychology 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 informationThis is based on numerical facts, figures and statistics e.g. number o f patients who are male, sales figures etc.* Qualitative informationThis 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 questionsThese can usually be answered by a simple yes or no. They are restrictive and can be answered in a some words e.g. does this answer your question? Or can I help you?* Open-ended questionsThey 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 marrow squashHardwareDeviceFunctionHealth Centre ApplicationsKeyboardInputPatient detail input, database, spreadsheets.MouseInputMost computer users prefer to use this. scannerInputScan hand written notes into the system (maybe from previous doctor).Digital cameraInput word-painting ID held on the systemTemperature sensing element (thermistor)Input (sensor)Environmental and safety check systemsSmoke detectorInput (sensor)Environmental and safety control systemsProximity detectorInput (sensor)Environmental and safety control systems (doors)VDU MonitorOutputAny application requiring Graphic User Interface (GUI) or information display. Receptionist to up-date appointments stretch to view patients historyFlat Screen VDUOutputAs above to save lacunaLCD DisplayOutputAs above using laptops or in bright sunlight. Have limited viewing angle.Inkjet printerOutputHigh quality low volume graphic publications and reports. optical maser printerOutputVolume printing such as welcome letters to new patients, mail shots to advise patients of changes in surgery hours etc.Dot matrix PrinterOutputWhere multi copy output is required e.g. prescriptions.SoftwareProgrammeFunctionTheatre ApplicationsDatabaseI/P Process O/P GUIPatient appointment system. Mail shot production.SpreadsheetI/P Process O/P GUIFinancial ana lysis and reporting. check over programmeI/P Process O/P GUIEnvironmental and safety control systems e.g. fire safety system.Word ProcessorI/P Process O/P GUIGeneral office purposes. Patient letters and mail shots.Control SystemsA control system is a system of hardware and software thats used to control the functioning 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 present1. A means of getting the information into the computer An INPUT2. Instructions for the computer to do something with the input A PROCESS3. It then has to be able to alter something in the outside world An OUTPUTMost computer controlled systems use a feedback loop which is when information from a sensor is used to control the output device. The sensor sends signs 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 supervise 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 SystemsAdvantagesDisadvantagesComputers can respond instantly to changes.The system is expensive to purchaseSystems 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 weigh for itself.In the health centre the possible cont rol systems areA security alarm system which may have an infra-red sensor which sends a planetary house 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. line of latitude and Digital SignalsDigital 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 informationThe 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 CentreA database is an set up 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-FileAll 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 sprea dsheet. 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.* relationalData 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 pick out 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.