Technology in Clinical Practice and the "Technological Ethic"

Authors

John W. Murphy, Arkansas State University
John T. Pardeck, Southeast Missouri State University

Abstract

Computers are being introduced into practically every area of clinical practice. The use of this technology by practitioners has not gone unchallenged. Specifically, new ethical problems are thought to be associated with using computers to make clinical assessments. Logistical and procedural difficulties, however, have been the primary focus of concern. In this paper the critique of computerized evaluation is expanded, with attention directed to the computer "micro-world." Because the computer micro-world consists of several unwarranted assumptions about the nature of social reality, clinical practice may be affected in many undesireable ways. The theoretical underside of computer use is illustrated to show how it shapes therapeutic (or diagnostic) discourse.

Recommended Citation

Murphy, John W. and Pardeck, John T. (1988) "Technology in Clinical Practice and the "Technological Ethic"," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 15: Iss. 1, Article 9.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.1844
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol15/iss1/9