Computer Information Accurancy

COMPUTER INFORMATION ACCURANCY

Almost anybody can make information available on the Internet—including information that is intentionally or inadvertently false, misleading, or incomplete. Material published in books, newspapers, and journals by reputable publishers is normally subjected to fact-checking and various other editorial reviews. Depending on the source, information on the…

No one should assume that information on the Internet is accurate, timely, clear, and important. Many adults have the perception that if something appears in print, then it must be true. Many of our students are even more gullible and are unlikely to know that any person with minimum computer skills can set up a Website. There are no restrictions on what a person can place on a site, and there are no requirements that the material be edited or reviewed. On the one hand, this has significantly broadened the range of information and ideas available to all of us. On the other, this freedom has allowed irresponsible people to disseminate misinformation for harmful purposes (Lee, 2002; Shiveley, 2004). In many teaching situations, your students will be accessing information that we teachers have recommended. Teachers must screen each site to make sure that the information presented is accurate. When our older students conduct their own searches, there is a chance they will find a site that is problematic. We should help our students evaluate Websites in the light of who provided the information and for what purpose, on the basis of how old the information is, and for the validity of the information when compared with other sources.

Data in computer-based patient records (CPRs) have many uses beyond their primary role in patient care, including research and health-system management. Although the accuracy of CPR data directly affects these applications, there has been only sporadic interest in, and no previous review of, data accuracy in CPRs. This paper reviews the published studies...