Ethical considerations concerning computers in medicine in the 1980s.

The advent of information technology and computers in medicine two decades ago posed a new set of ethical problems. In recent years, these problems have been compounded by the increasing use of computers for supporting clinical decisions as well as administration and record keeping. This presentation considers some of the problems which are raised by the use of computers to support clinical decisions, under the various headings of beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy and justice. For each aspect the problems raised are described and the implications discussed.