The focus of this paper is how three different ethical frameworks could apply to medical human computer interactions (HCI). As a subset of HCI, medical HCI is interested in researching and resolving questions surrounding human disease. Medical HCI uses the tools, techniques, concepts, and paradigms of general HCI to help advance medical knowledge. Medical HCI itself is a very broad field an could encompass topics as diverse as studying genetic based diseases to training medical professionals to best triage patients in an emergency room.
As a relatively new field there does not appear to be any standardized guidelines yet that govern normative practice in this field. Consequently there is a need for ethics to inform researchers on the most ethical practices and courses of action that they should take.
In this paper consequentialism, non-consequentialism, and virtual ethics are described as systems and then applied to a medical HCI context. Two scenarios are given for each system. First a question regarding how a researcher should manage the confidentiality of the identities of human subjects whose DNA is being modeled in a simulator.
Next a question of how realistic an emergency room simulation should be if the simulation would be evoking gender or racial stereotypes.
Consequentialism
Among the various ethical systems that might help inform professionals in the field of medical HCI is the consequentialist philosophy known as utilitarianism. Although utilitarian thought typically falls within what is called the modern period of philosophical history it’s origins can be traced back to the ancient Greek philosopher
Epicurus. (Bayard, 2009). Epicurus thought that the pursuit and attainment of pleasure was the highest ideal.
Utilitarian...
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...s but are accurate. She may try to represent women as accurately as possible but without playing into insensitive stereotypes.
The challenge it seems to me with employing virtue ethics is to find appropriate vices for the scenarios. There are no doubt limitless possibilities vices that might be recognized. The virtue ethicist might not be able to evaluate enough of a sampling to reasonably determine what the true virtues are.
Conclusion
This paper talks about three ethical systems as applied to two scenarios in medical HCI. Consequentialist, nonconsequentialist, and virtue ethics are applied to a scenario where a researcher has to determine whether to keep confidential the identities of subjects whose DNA she is researching as well as to a scenario of whether or not a researcher should build a simulation of an emergency room that evokes racial and gender stereotypes.
Virtue ethics is an approach that “deemphasizes rules, consequences and particular acts and places the focus on the kind of person who is acting” (Garrett, 2005). A person’s character is the totality of his character traits. Our character traits can be goo...
On Virtue Ethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. http://www.oxfordscholarship.com. ———. "
The four major ethical principles in health care are: Autonomy – to honor the patient’s right to make their own decision (the opposite is paternalism - the health care provider knows best for the patient), Beneficence – to help the patient advance his/her own good, Nonmaleficence – to do no harm (many bioethical controversies involves this principle), and Justice – to be fair and treat like cases alike. All 4 principles are considered to be in effect at all times. In theory, each is of equal weight or importance. Ethical responsibilities in a given situation depend in part on the nature of the decision and in part on the roles everyone involved play.
Shafer-Landau, R. (2013) Ethical Theory: An Anthology (Second Edition). West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Hursthouse, R. (2003, July 18). Virtue Ethics. Stanford University. Retrieved March 6, 2014, from http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2013/entries/ethics-virtue
Ingram, David, and Jennifer A. Parks. "Biomedical Ethics." The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Ethics. Indianapolis, IN: Alpha, 2002. N. pag. Print.
Epicurus states that pleasure is “the starting point and the goal of a happy life” which could be interpreted as pleasure being both the means and the end of living a happy life. He believes that in order to achieve the goal of happiness, we must first understand that pleasure is the underlying cause of happiness.
In this diverse society we are confronted everyday with so many ethical choices in provision of healthcare for individuals. It becomes very difficult to find a guideline that would include a border perspective which might include individual’s beliefs and preference across the world. Due to these controversies, the four principles in biomedical ethic which includes autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice help us understand and explain which medical practices are ethical and acceptable. These principles are not only used to protect the rights of a patient but also the physician from being violated.
In conclusion, virtue ethics can make a huge difference on short-term goals, long-term goals, advantages and disadvantages on the American health care system and the ability to compete globally. Finding the highest good and developing a good character will progress to excellence and good habits to have a successful career and life.
Allen, B., (1994). Predictive genetic testing: ethical, legal and social implications. USA Today Nov 1994:66-69. Reference 2.
Macklin R. (2003). Applying the Four Principles, Journal of Medical Ethics; 29: p.275-280 doi:10.1136/jme.29.5.275.retrieved from http:// jme.bmj.com/content/29/5/275.full
First we will examine the thesis "The only thing we desire for its own sake is pleasure." As Epicurus argued in throughout his writings, "pleasure is the goal." (Epicurus (1994) text 1.11) It is also is "the starting point ... of living blessedly" (Epicurus (1994) text 4.128)...
McGee, Glenn and Arthur L. Caplan. "Medical Ethics." Microsoft® Encarta® 98 Encyclopedia. © 1993-1997: Microsoft Corporation. CD-ROM.
What is the value of research in the career for a Health Informatics or HIM professional?
General ethical theories have provided guidance for moral decision making for a few years now. Major theories have been created which emphasize different rules or principles to follow when moral difficulties arise, specifically in the medical context. These major ethical theories like Utilitarianism, Deontology, Natural Law of Ethics, Care Ethics, Virtue Ethics, and the Ethics of Reciprocity, to name a few, stand for different principles which overall formulates the major differences between these theories. However, after deliberating over the man principles and rules of each theory, the ethical theory which resonated most with my own decision making process, is the Ethics of Reciprocity.