Nature Can Do More Than What Physicians Can Essay example

Submitted By imtiazuddingazi
Words: 1848
Pages: 8
Open Document
With the proliferation of technologies that are able to overcome the obstacles of time and space (e.g., airplanes, cars, the Internet), one would think that these tools would be used to gain an understanding of other cultures, meet people all over the world, maintain and strengthen familial relationships, communicate effectively with others, and help people to become more socially adept. However, some technological advances cause people to be distracted, overly stressed, and increasingly isolated. Many people are involved in an abundant number of relationships through technology, but sometimes the quantity of these associations leaves people feeling qualitatively empty. Obviously, technology has had a profound impact on what it means to be social.
Society is likely on the cusp of a social revolution, during which it will be important to redefine socially appropriate and acceptable behaviors (with regard to digital or virtual interaction). We are at a point in history where very few people have given critical thought to new social realities created by technology and what those realities mean for the individual and society. In this section we closely examine a few social technologies that influence leisure. The section first looks at virtual communities, social networking sites, and today’s communication tools. Then we critically reflect on gaming and television. Think about how each technology affects your social life and social skills. Keep in mind that these are only a few of the technologies that may affect you socially. A comprehensive list is not feasible here.
A study of students and information technology found that 85 percent of undergraduates surveyed used social networking sites (Salaway et al., 2008) (see figure 8.2). Many of the respondents reported using such sites daily. Figure 8.3 indicates how undergraduate students use social networking sites. This report found indications that use of these sites is increasing yearly. Let us now look critically at whether this trend is positive.

The use of social networking sites has both positive and negative consequences. It is amazing how someone can find a long-lost friend through a social networking site, enabling them to reconnect. In a society where people have become quite mobile and family and friends are often geographically separated, it is convenient to keep in touch through technology.
However, one need not look far to find problems associated with social networking sites. There is a lively debate about whether Internet addictions are real. To me it appears to be a real problem (perception is often reality in a social context) with which people have to grapple. Some assert that these Web sites contributed to cheating on significant others, often leading to divorce. People have been fired from their jobs or put under pressure because they use these sites at work or because something is posted on a site that undermined the person’s professional standing.
Although divorce and loss of employment are serious issues, perhaps they are not as common as other problems that have the potential to stem from social networking sites.Narcissism—excessive interest in one’s appearance and in oneself—is sometimes manifested on social networking sites. These Web sites have been found to be an avenue for people to display their narcissistic traits online (Buffardi & Campbell, 2008). I often wonder whether people use these sites to display their popularity to the world rather than use them as a vehicle to develop meaningful relationships.
Creating meaningful relationships is often about sharing our lives with others, and technology can allow us to do so through photos, videos, text, and music. In conducting research for my doctoral dissertation, I looked at how eight senior citizens used technology and how it affected their lives. My hope was to find that they used technology to stay in touch with friends, family, and people with similar interests. Although the
Show More

Related Documents: Nature Can Do More Than What Physicians Can Essay example

Pros And Cons Of Voluntary Active Euthanasia

Should Voluntary Active Euthanasia be legal? Medical professionals are trained to provide the best care to their patients. They not only save lives but they do their best to honor their patient’s wishes. Voluntary active euthanasia is when a person ends in their life which can include refusing treatment or directly acting upon it. It’s based on a good easy death that honors the wishes of the parents. Voluntary active euthanasia should be legal in all 50 states in the United States. It takes into…

Words 1022 - Pages 5

Understanding Informed Consent: A Primer Essay

When medical care or treatment is provided, medical practitioners are required in many situations to obtain a patient's "informed consent." But what does this term mean? What can happen if proper informed consent is not given? A Definition Although the specific definition of informed consent may vary from state to state, it basically means that a physician (or other medical provider) must tell a patient all of the potential benefits, risks, and alternatives involved in any surgical procedure, medical…

Words 1011 - Pages 5

Physician-Assisted Suicide

Physician-aided suicide is the process of a physician providing the information or means or both for committing suicide to a patient ranging from counselling, drug prescriptions, lethal dosages and all the information one would need to know to take their own life. Medical codes have long prohibited the involvement of physicians in the act of assisting a patient in committing suicide but in recent years, the support for the liberalization of this ban has grown. I believe that physician-assisted suicide…

Words 1093 - Pages 5

Course Notes Essay

Spermatic Cord 4. What is it called when an egg from the female is withdrawn and fertilized with sperm in a laboratory for 2 to 3 days with subsequent implantation into the uterus? ANSWER: In vitro fertilization 5. A procedure that is performed under ultrasonic guidance to assess the status of the fetus is called? ANSWER: Sonogram 6. What is a laminaria? ANSWER: Any of a…

Words 892 - Pages 4

Broken Patient Autonomy In Health Care

To many people, the word “autonomy” simply means the fundamental freedom of choice and independence. Many of us will not go beyond those words and understand how it can be applied in a medical setting. Patient autonomy is the right of a patient to make decisions about their individual medical care without the influence of their health care provider (“Patient Autonomy”). This concept is put in place because it gives an individual the freedom to choose their course of treatment, whether the healthcare…

Words 2179 - Pages 9

Barriers In Healthcare

the healthcare sector can be life-threatening. The rising number of migrant patients and foreign-trained staff means that communication errors between a healthcare practitioner and patient when one or both are speaking a second language are increasingly likely. However, there is limited research that addresses this issue systematically. This protocol outlines a hospital-based study examining interactions between healthcare practitioners and their patients who either share or do not share a first language…

Words 858 - Pages 4

Arguments Against Assisted Suicide

of view of religion, and the view from a somewhat scientific, and community view on Assisted Suicide. Assisted Suicide is between a patient and the physician, not by human nature. Assisted suicide allows the patient to have a choice to live their terminally ill life until their dying day or they may choose the easy way out and allow a physician to assist them to end their life by choice. The patient gets the choice to die by suicide or live. Assisted Suicide is done by allowing the patient to…

Words 640 - Pages 3

The Most Important Factors For The Initial Choice Of Primary Care

clinics (that charged much less from the patient’s pockets than the private clinics) were mainly the last choices. BORNSTEIN, MARCUS, & CASSIDY IN JOURNAL OF EVALUATION IN CLINICAL PRACTICE 6 (2000): Page 255: 1. Participants perceived professionally relevant factors (e.g. whether the doctor is board certified, office appearance) and management practices (e.g. time to get an appointment, evening and weekend hours) as more important than the doctor’s personal characteristics (race, age, gender…

Words 2334 - Pages 10

Med Ethics Final Exam Questions Essay

1 Explain briefly the main features of a utilitarian ethical theory and discuss some of the objections to it. Explore the nature of the moral guidance utilitarianism would give for one of the particular ethical issues in medicine we have discussed in the course. Do you find the utilitarian approach to this problem persuasive? Why or why not? John Stuart Mill, the man who suggested the idea of Greatest Happiness Principle is well known for his contributions to the ethical theory of utilitarianism…

Words 4234 - Pages 17

Checking in to Checking Out Essay

prescribe, but not administer, a lethal dose of medication to a patient who has less than six months to live. Two doctors must agree that the patient is mentally competent and that the decision was voluntary. By April of 1999, twenty three patients had been prescribed the drugs under the statute, and fifteen of them used the drugs to commit suicide. Washington and Montana passed legislation in 2008 that allows physicians to assist in PAS and not face prosecution. With the implementation of euthanasia…

Words 3908 - Pages 16