Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
A virtual workplace needs to be open, adaptable, and extensible. The solu-
tion components should be able to communicate via open standards to facili-
tate integration and collaboration with new entities such as for a rich set of
collaboration and workfl ow management tools, scalability to handle a very
large number of collaborators from many institutions, and interoperability
with tools from various sources and various platforms.
The following functional attributes are essential for an effective virtual
workplace:
• Integrated communication with various teams and subteams and support
for asynchronous and synchronous communication methods such as
secure e-mail, instant messaging with presence awareness, video and
audio conferencing [e.g., Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)], calendar-
ing, blogging, podcasting, RSS, wikis, and other communal postings, and
online conference forums where many different groups participate and
topics may be brainstormed, discussed, and expanded
• Teaming to support multiple but distinct collaboration communities and
multiple teams within each community, address book and bios of all team
members that are searchable for skills as well as phone numbers, inte-
grated calendar with team activities and important conferences and
meetings, bulletin board with notices and announcements, and informal
virtual place for people to hang out and socialize
• Education for courses on use of the virtual workplace and collaboration
tools and technical topics relevant to the collaborators to facilitate inter-
disciplinary interactions (e.g., distance learning offered by colleges and
universities)
• Ease of use for interaction and access with intuitive look and feel, ideally
requiring zero learning curve and data entry as easy as writing a paper
notebook entry
18.7
SECURITY AND PRIVACY
Assurance of confi dentiality and compliance with the statutory requirements
for protection of personal privacy to establish a “trusted” virtual workplace is
a critical success factor for leverage of collaboration in clinical trials
Security and privacy are main concerns of individuals and organizational
entities whether they are commercial institutions, nonprofi t organizations, or
charity organizations. These issues become much more sensitive and critical,
especially when personal health information is involved, as in clinical trials.
The general public is very much concerned about potential identity theft and
misuse of personal information by their employers and government agencies.
In addition, there is a growing public mistrust of government.
People have a pretty good understanding of the meaning of
security
and
the implications associated with compromised security but still are trying to
comprehend the true meaning of
privacy
and the potential risks associated
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