1. What is the digital divide as it applies to modern health care?
2. What is telehealth?
3. What are web blogs, and how they are applied in Healthcare?
4. What are sensor and activity monitoring systems?
5. What is public health informatics?
6. How will EHRs impact public health?
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
The digital divide, as it applies to modern healthcare, refers to the disparity in access to and use of digital technologies among different populations or communities. It encompasses the unequal distribution of resources, such as internet access, computers, and digital literacy skills, which can impede individuals’ ability to fully engage in and benefit from digital healthcare services. The digital divide can create barriers to accessing telehealth services, electronic health records (EHRs), health information exchange (HIE), and other digital health tools and resources, limiting healthcare access and outcomes for marginalized or underserved populations.
Telehealth refers to the use of digital communication technologies to provide healthcare services remotely. It involves the delivery of medical consultations, diagnoses, treatment, monitoring, and education through telecommunication platforms, such as video conferencing, mobile applications, and remote monitoring devices. Telehealth enables patients to access healthcare services from their own homes or remote locations, eliminating the need for in-person visits and improving convenience, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness. It has become increasingly important, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, by minimizing the risk of exposure and ensuring continuity of care.
Web blogs, also known as blogs, are online platforms where individuals or organizations share their thoughts, opinions, experiences, and information on specific topics. In healthcare, blogs are used as a medium for disseminating health-related information, providing patient education, sharing personal stories, promoting awareness of specific conditions or treatments, and facilitating discussions among healthcare professionals and patients. Blogs can be written by healthcare providers, patients, advocacy groups, or healthcare organizations, and they serve as a valuable resource for health education, patient engagement, and sharing of knowledge and experiences.
Sensor and activity monitoring systems refer to technologies that utilize sensors and devices to collect and monitor data related to individuals’ activities, behaviors, and health parameters. These systems can include wearable devices, smart home sensors, mobile applications, and remote monitoring technologies. They capture information such as heart rate, physical activity, sleep patterns, medication adherence, and environmental factors. Sensor and activity monitoring systems are used in healthcare for various purposes, including remote patient monitoring, chronic disease management, fall detection, sleep analysis, and wellness tracking. They enable healthcare providers to gather real-time data, monitor patients’ health remotely, identify trends or abnormalities, and intervene proactively to improve patient outcomes.
Public health informatics is a field that focuses on the application of information and communication technologies to public health practices and research. It involves the collection, management, analysis, and dissemination of health-related data to inform public health decision-making, policy development, and disease surveillance. Public health informatics utilizes electronic health records, health information systems, data analytics, epidemiological tools, and other informatics approaches to improve population health outcomes. It plays a vital role in disease prevention, outbreak investigation, health promotion, emergency preparedness, and public health research.
Electronic health records (EHRs) will have a significant impact on public health. EHRs are digital versions of patients’ medical records that contain comprehensive health information, including medical history, diagnoses, medications, allergies, immunizations, and laboratory results. The integration of EHRs with public health systems and practices allows for better disease surveillance, monitoring, and response. EHRs enable real-time reporting of notifiable diseases, facilitate population health management, support public health research, and aid in the identification of health trends and patterns. By providing access to accurate and up-to-date patient information, EHRs enhance public health interventions, improve healthcare quality, and contribute to the overall improvement of population health outcomes.
