Consideration Of Ethical Principles Research Articles

Balancing efficiency and public interest: The impact of AI automation on social benefit provision in Brazil

This article examines the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) systems by Brazil's National Social Security Institute (INSS) to automate the granting of social benefits. Using audit reports from government agencies, it analyses the efficiency improvements brought about by AI, such as the speed with which benefits are granted, as well as the unintended consequences of this automation, such as the increase in the number of automatic denials and the creation of barriers for less digitally literate users, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable populations. The research points to the need for transparency, public justification, adequate risk monitoring tools, governance design, and participation in the implementation of these systems to ensure that they serve the public interest and promote equity. The paper argues that without proper regulation and consideration of ethical principles, AI automation could exacerbate inequalities and undermine trust in public services. The authors conclude by stressing the importance of a balanced approach that weighs in both technological innovation with the public interest.

Ethical considerations in surgical research conducted in African LMICs: A comprehensive narrative review

Introduction: Surgical research has revolutionized healthcare by improving the efficacy, safety, and efficiency of surgical interventions. This research has the potential to significantly impact healthcare delivery in Africa, where surgical diseases pose a major public health burden. Studies suggest surgery alone could reduce the global disease burden by 11%, with a substantial portion stemming from conditions prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa like traumatic injuries, childbirth complications, and surgical infections. However, conducting surgical research in Africa presents unique ethical challenges. The continent’s diverse socio-economic environments and rich cultural contexts necessitate careful consideration of ethical principles. Traditional research models often don’t translate well to African settings, raising concerns about informed consent, community engagement, and benefit-sharing. Aim: This review aims to shed light on various ethical dilemmas posed within surgical research, conducted in African countries. Further, standard practices and recommendations that involve a multi-pronged approach to mitigate said issues were explored. Materials and Methods: A meticulous analysis of the existing literature pertaining to the ethical issues proffered in Africa was performed. Databases employed comprised PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and EBSCOhost. Pertinent case studies were also reviewed to comprehend said issues, providing comprehensive recommendations. Results: In addressing the ethical challenges in the research, the importance of resource limitation, sociocultural factors, informed consent barriers, technological obsolescence, training deficits, power dynamics, vulnerable populations, regulatory oversight, and compliance was highlighted. The proposed approaches include conducting focused research lectures and practical workshops on surgery, organizing surgical boot camps for medical students, interns, and residents, promoting research in related fields such as anesthesia, radiology, and pathology, ensuring the presence of on-site surgeons as needed, and arranging outreach surgical and educational camps for patients. Conclusion: Promoting community engagement and training local researchers and surgeons are crucial for navigating the unique ethical landscape in Africa. By prioritizing ethical considerations, surgical research can contribute to improved healthcare outcomes and a more equitable healthcare system across the continent.

Ethical Decision-Making Level of Intensive Care Nurses

Aim: A crucial skill for nurses is the understanding of ethics and ethical dilemmas, which enables them to make ethical decisions. This study aimed to assess the ethical decision-making abilities of intensive care nurses employed at a university hospital.
 Materials and Methods: 
 In this descriptive study, the population comprised 265 nurses employed in the hospital's intensive care units. The sample for the study, on the other hand, consisted of 56 intensive care nurses. Data were collected using a “Nurse Information Form” and the “Nursing Dilemma Test”.
 Results: Intensive care nurses scored above the moderate level in Principled Thinking (29.95±10.34) and Practical Considerations (17.79±4.73). The study indicated that these nurses were acquainted with dilemmas similar to those in the Nursing Dilemma Test (15.71±4.47).
 Conclusion: The most common ethical dilemmas faced by intensive care nurses included the conflict between true procedures that should be done and the physician's request, the decision not to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and telling the truth to the patient. It was concluded that intensive care nurses tried to take ethical principles into account when making decisions about ethical dilemmas, but that they did not make use of ethical principles adequately and were affected by environmental factors. To increase intensive care nurses’ level of consideration of ethical principles when they make decisions about ethical dilemmas, it is necessary to determine the ethical dilemmas they encounter and to increase and develop the knowledge and skills of nurses about the ethical decision-making process by supporting ethics education with in-service training.

Ethical Considerations of Artificial Intelligence in Health Care: Examining the Role of Generative Pretrained Transformer-4.

The integration of artificial intelligence technologies, such as large language models (LLMs), in health care holds potential for improved efficiency and decision support. However, ethical concerns must be addressed before widespread adoption. This article focuses on the ethical principles surrounding the use of Generative Pretrained Transformer-4 and its conversational model, ChatGPT, in healthcare settings. One concern is potential inaccuracies in generated content. LLMs can produce believable yet incorrect information, risking errors in medical records. Opacity of training data exacerbates this, hindering accuracy assessment. To mitigate, LLMs should train on precise, validated medical data sets. Model bias is another critical concern because LLMs may perpetuate biases from their training, leading to medically inaccurate and discriminatory responses. Sampling, programming, and compliance biases contribute necessitating careful consideration to avoid perpetuating harmful stereotypes. Privacy is paramount in health care, using public LLMs raises risks. Strict data-sharing agreements and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant training protocols are necessary to protect patient privacy. Although artificial intelligence technologies offer promising opportunities in health care, careful consideration of ethical principles is crucial. Addressing concerns of inaccuracy, bias, and privacy will ensure responsible and patient-centered implementation, benefiting both healthcare professionals and patients.

An ethics framework for social listening and infodemic management

Abstract Issue Successful response to an infodemic requires social listening and integrated analysis to produce infodemic insights by identifying questions, concerns, information voids and circulating narratives including health misinformation. There is currently a wide variation in social listening and infodemic insights generation practices, and a lack of frameworks to be applied on ethical values and standards. Description of the problem In the context of infodemic management, infodemic insights are generated based on social listening, health system and data from online and offline sources. Where there is a difference between health guidance and behaviors during an emergency, rapid infodemic insights can help understand the underlying drivers of this divergence. Integrated analysis of this data informs infodemic management strategies generate insights that advise a wide range of public health interventions. Present ethical challenges influence data processing and use. Results The World Health Organization (WHO) convened a group of experts to develop an ethical framework for social listening and infodemic management. It will guide health authorities and practitioners in planning and setting up infodemic insights teams and implementing infodemic management activities. To support the deliberation of the WHO expert group, a systematic review has been conducted to understand present ethical concerns and challenges. Lessons Infodemic management strategies raise ethical concerns that relate to data control, commercialization, transparency, accountability and implications. Power and power imbalances, human rights, privacy and dignity, trust and respect for cultural practices may arise during data collection, analysis, interpretation, and intervention design. Without proper ethical oversight and guidance, the implementation of infodemic management strategies could harm individuals and communities, erode trust, and undermine the effectiveness of responses to a public health emergency. Key messages • Social listening and infodemic management by health authorities require consideration of ethical principles and guidance. • WHO ethics guidance will help public health authorities establish infodemic management practices, policies and strategies.

The Harraseeket Conference – Revisiting systems for ethics oversight of research with human participants

The current system of ethical oversight in the United States is based on Institutional Review Board (IRB) review. The system was established in response to well-known and egregious mistreatment of subjects in both biomedical and social and behavioral research. In the decades since the research regulations were enacted, reaction to the burden of IRB oversight has led the system to focus on compliance and limit its active oversight disproportionately to studies that could present the risk of physical harm. At the same time, the characteristics of the research enterprise have changed and methodologies now present novel risks that were not envisioned in the regulations. We convened a group of IRB professionals, academic leaders, and others to discuss limitations of the current system, how that system could be changed to recognize evolving risks and an increasing focus on participant and community voice, and how it could better serve the needs of researchers and support the societal project of science as a public good. Recommendations included a call to reexamine the academic incentive structure, to develop a system to support consideration of ethical principles from the time of study design, and to explicitly provide different ethical support and oversight for high-risk interventional trials and lower risk biomedical and social behavioral research.

The relevance of ethics in the European Union’s second public health programme

Aim: The objective of this paper was to investigate whether ethical values were explicitly identified in the Second Public Health Programme (2008-2013) of the European Commission. Methods: A qualitative case study methodology of exploratory nature was followed. The data used were the summaries of the project proposals and Public Health Programme objectives and was retrieved from the publicly available Consumers, Health and Food Executive Agency database. Since the PHP was finalized during the study, the study only focused on the summaries of the fifty-five finalized project proposals while excluding the ongoing projects and those projects at the reporting stage. The full proposals for the projects are confidential and thus could not be retrieved. However, the project summaries were inarguably sufficient to conduct the study. Using a table, a content analysis method in addition to the ethical framework, was applied in order to analyze and categorise the project findings. Results: The results unfold that, out of the seven ethical principles, only ‘equity’ and ‘efficiency’ were explicitly considered in eighteen projects and four projects respectively. Moreover, from the shared health values, eight projects identified aspects pertaining to ‘accessibility to quality health care’ while ‘solidarity’ was only discussed in one project. Lastly, the ethical aspects ‘ethics’ and ‘values’ were identified in three projects and in one project respectively. Conclusions: From the results, there is a limited consideration of ethical principles within the projects. Therefore, future public health programmes could use this as an opportunity to emphasis on the inclusion and application of ethical principles in public health projects.

A Review of Ethical and Legal Aspects of Gender-Neutral Human Papillomavirus Vaccination.

While launching a campaign to eliminate cervical cancer, the World Health Organization called to halt human papillomavirus (HPV) gender-neutral vaccination (GNV) because of limited vaccine supply, raising ethical and legal questions about female-only vaccination versus GNV. We identified ethical and legal aspects of HPV GNV by searching MEDLINE for records up to February 19, 2021. We also provided an overview of HPV vaccines, the evolution of HPV vaccine recommendations in North America, and a timeline of male HPV vaccination introduction by searching PubMed, Google, and government websites. Four HPV vaccines are available: Cervarix, Gardasil, Gardasil9, and Cecolin. Vaccine recommendations in North America evolved from female only to eventually include males. Following the FDA's approval of the first HPV vaccine for males (2009), 35 countries began vaccinating males (2011-2020). On the basis of 59 eligible records out of 652, we identified the following constructs: lower male awareness of HPV and vaccination (n = 13), limited economic resources (n = 5), shared social responsibility (n = 18), unprotected groups from female-only HPV vaccination (n = 10), limited screening for HPV-associated noncervical cancers (n = 6), consideration of ethical principles (n = 17), and HPV vaccine mandates (n = 5). Ethical and legal aspects must be considered when recommending vaccination for females only or GNV.

СОЦІАЛЬНА ВІДПОВІДАЛЬНІСТЬ ТУРИСТИЧНОГО БІЗНЕСУ В УКРАЇНІ: ОСОБЛИВОСТІ СТАНОВЛЕННЯ ТА ПЕРСПЕКТИВИ РОЗВИТКУ

The article examines the areas of social responsibility implementation in the tourism business of Ukraine. Its characteristic features are the one-time or periodic participation of tourism business entities in individual socio-ecological activities, charity, sponsorship or volunteering, short-term partnership or participation in the implementation of individual short-term projects, individual development of strategies or programs of corporate social responsibility. In the practice of implementing CSR in Ukrainian tourism, responsible behavior is demonstrated by companies that work under the names of well-known international brands, or are representatives of national tourism businesses that have entered the international market, and for which CSR is a mandatory condition for cooperation with partners and clients. Examples and main directions of social programs implemented by domestic tourism enterprises are given. On the basis of the conducted analysis, a conclusion was made about low social activity at the enterprises of the tourism industry of Ukraine, the absence of a monitoring and control mechanism for the implementation of the measures. Among the main problems of low social activity of the tourism business, the high cost of CSR activities, low culture of social entrepreneurship, lack of understanding of the strategic advantages of socially responsible management, reluctance to integrate social and environmental issues into the business processes of one's enterprise are highlighted. The study of successful examples of national and international experience in the implementation of the CSR strategy in tourism made it possible to identify promising areas of socially responsible activities of tourism industry enterprises: responsibility to employees, responsibility to clients, partners and the public, environmental responsibility. A proposed system of long-term initiatives for the gradual introduction of corporate social responsibility into the tourism business in Ukraine. Such initiatives should be implemented through a transparent and honest policy towards tourists, fair treatment of staff, consideration of ethical principles by all participants in the creation of the value chain, compliance with international and national standards of service and safety.

Prioritizing Well-being of Patients through Consideration of Ethical Principles in Healthcare Settings: Concepts and Practices

Implementation of ethical principles in health care settings is an important tool for prioritizing well-being of patients in face of expanding treatment options, medical technologies and resources scarcity. This review discusses evaluation and theories of ethics, principles of medical ethics and strategies of their inculcation in healthcare professional practices. Non-maleficence, beneficence, patient’s autonomy and justice are recognized basic principles of medical ethics for regulating the actions and behaviors of healthcare professionals. They are aimed at increasing patient’s well-beings through preventing physical and moral harm, maximizing benefits of diagnostic and therapeutic interventions, ensuring patients preferences for a specific treatment or diagnostic method and access to healthcare facilities with equality and equity. Deviation from these principles leads to professionally unethical practice with ultimate physical and moral harm to patients. Principles of medical ethics are legal in nature and can be inculcated in healthcare professionals through inclusion in courses, ethical committee’s establishment, trainings and conferences. Ethical competency, transparency, integrity and respect towards patients are the prime requisites for medical ethically skilled professionals. In conclusion, ethical principles should be implemented in their true spirits so the patients can get maximum clinical outcomes of treatments with higher physical and moral safety and cost-effectiveness. How to Cite this Article Pubmed Style Ahmed Ahmed, Heyam Saad Ali, Mansour A. Mahmoud. Well-being of Patients through Consideration of Ethical Principles in Healthcare Settings: Concepts and Practices. SRP. 2020; 11(5): 643-648. doi:10.31838/srp.2020.5.90 Web Style Ahmed Ahmed, Heyam Saad Ali, Mansour A. Mahmoud. Well-being of Patients through Consideration of Ethical Principles in Healthcare Settings: Concepts and Practices. http://www.sysrevpharm.org/?mno=113365 [Access: March 29, 2021]. doi:10.31838/srp.2020.5.90 AMA (American Medical Association) Style Ahmed Ahmed, Heyam Saad Ali, Mansour A. Mahmoud. Well-being of Patients through Consideration of Ethical Principles in Healthcare Settings: Concepts and Practices. SRP. 2020; 11(5): 643-648. doi:10.31838/srp.2020.5.90 Vancouver/ICMJE Style Ahmed Ahmed, Heyam Saad Ali, Mansour A. Mahmoud. Well-being of Patients through Consideration of Ethical Principles in Healthcare Settings: Concepts and Practices. SRP. (2020), [cited March 29, 2021]; 11(5): 643-648. doi:10.31838/srp.2020.5.90 Harvard Style Ahmed Ahmed, Heyam Saad Ali, Mansour A. Mahmoud (2020) Well-being of Patients through Consideration of Ethical Principles in Healthcare Settings: Concepts and Practices. SRP, 11 (5), 643-648. doi:10.31838/srp.2020.5.90 Turabian Style Ahmed Ahmed, Heyam Saad Ali, Mansour A. Mahmoud. 2020. Well-being of Patients through Consideration of Ethical Principles in Healthcare Settings: Concepts and Reviews in Pharmacy, 11 (5), 643-648. doi:10.31838/srp.2020.5.90 Chicago Style Ahmed Ahmed, Heyam Saad Ali, Mansour A. Mahmoud. Prioritizing Well-being of Patients through Consideration of Ethical Principles in Healthcare Settings: Concepts and Practices. Systematic Reviews in Pharmacy 11 (2020), 643-648. doi:10.31838/srp.2020.5.90 MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style Ahmed Ahmed, Heyam Saad Ali, Mansour A. Mahmoud. Prioritizing Well-being of Patients through Consideration of Ethical Principles in Healthcare Settings: Concepts and Practices. Systematic Reviews in Pharmacy 11.5 (2020), 643-648. Print. doi:10.31838/srp.2020.5.90 APA (American Psychological Association) Style Ahmed Ahmed, Heyam Saad Ali, Mansour A. Mahmoud (2020) Well-being of Patients through Consideration of Ethical Principles in Healthcare Settings: Concepts and Reviews in Pharmacy, 11 (5), 643-648. doi:10.31838/srp.2020.5.90

Considerations for working with youth with socially complex needs.

The presence of adverse childhood experiences offers a glimpse into the social complexity in the lives of youth. Thus far, youth have been categorized as "at-risk" or "vulnerable,"-identifiers which highlight a deficits-based framework and continue to stigmatize youth. To combat this systemic marginalization, we propose using the term youth with socially complex needs. These youth, often minority ethnic/racial and/or sexual/gender minorities, experience repeated adversity and discrimination. The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize the unique considerations of working with youth with socially complex needs-who have an increased vulnerability for social marginalization. Given the adversity experienced and challenges inherent in working with youth with socially complex needs, ethical principles, and relevant care delivery models were explored. Delivering mental health care and/or conducting research in collaboration with youth with socially complex needs requires thoughtful consideration of ethical principles and models of care. In conclusion, we propose a strengths-based, individualized approach to working with youth with socially complex needs that requires a dynamic, fluid, multisystemic approach to care and research.

Surgery during COVID-19 crisis conditions: can we protect our ethical integrity against the odds?

COVID-19 is reducing the ability to perform surgical procedures worldwide, giving rise to a multitude of ethical, practical and medical dilemmas. Adapting to crisis conditions requires a rethink of traditional...

Deterrence as Consideration of Ethical Principles of Punitive Damage

Background and Aim: This paper refers to deterrence as one of the bases of ethical principles of punitive damage. This is why the question is raised, how does punitive damage contribute to codification of ethical principles in society by adoption of deterrence approach? Therefore, this paper aims to highlight the deterrent aspects of punitive damage ethically. Materials and Methods: The present survey adopts descriptive-analytical approach so as to attend the deterrent aspects of punitive damage in ethical fields. To do so, data collection is done through library review of main texts, books, papers and surveys on the matter. Findings: Although punitive damage has not been yet acknowledged in Iranian legal laws, there are similar notions like late payment damage, penalty clause, and compensation which act like the notion and contribute to social and individual ethics. In ethical field, punitive damage is based on a deterrent approach which prevents from social violations and offenses and provides people with a model of ethical life in which other members of the society are also inhibited from committing crimes. Conclusion: Punitive damage with its effective deterrent aspects can develop a new approach to individual and social ethics so as to compensate for socio-economic rights effectively and to prevent undesirable events from happening in future. Please cite this article as: Dehghani M, Shoarian Sattari I, Taghizadeh I, Soltan Ahmadi J. Deterrence as Consideration of Ethical Principles of Punitive Damage. Bioethics Journal, Special Issue on Human Rights and Citizenship Rights 2019; 355-366.

Patient-targeted Googling and social media: a cross-sectional study of senior medical students

BackgroundSocial media and Internet technologies present several emerging and ill-explored issues for a modern healthcare workforce. One issue is patient-targeted Googling (PTG), which involves a healthcare professional using a social networking site (SNS) or publicly available search engine to find patient information online. The study’s aim was to address a deficit in data and knowledge regarding PTG, and to investigate medical student use of SNSs due to a close association with PTG.MethodThe authors surveyed final year medical students at the Otago Medical School, University of Otago in January 2016. A subset completed focus groups that were analysed using thematic analysis to identify key themes relating to students’ attitudes towards PTG, and reasons why they might engage in PTG.ResultsFifty-four students completed the survey (response rate = 65.1%), which showed that PTG was uncommon (n = 9, 16.7%). Attitudes were varied and context dependent. Most participants saw problems with PTG and favoured more explicit guidance on the issue (n = 29, 53.7%). SNS usage was high (n = 51, 94.4%); participants were concerned by the content of their SNS profiles and who they were connecting with online. Participants showing high SNS use were 1.83 times more likely to have conducted PTG than lower use groups.ConclusionsThe diverse attitudes uncovered in this study indicated that teaching or guidelines could be useful to healthcare professionals considering PTG. Though ethically problematic, PTG may be important to patient care and safety. The decision to conduct PTG should be made with consideration of ethical principles and the intended use of the information.

The pragmatic use of evidence to inform breastfeeding peer support guidance for Scotland

BackgroundBreastfeeding is of great importance to public health because of indisputable evidence about its benefits to the health of mothers, their infants, and children; however Scotland struggles to view breastfeeding as a normal activity. Nonetheless, mother-to-mother (peer) breastfeeding support is popular. In response to the Scottish Government's 2011 document Improving Maternal and Infant Nutrition: A Framework for Action, we have produced guidance for professionals in health boards and voluntary sector agencies that is informed by the evidence about breastfeeding peer support. MethodsWith the agreement of policy makers, health professionals, and voluntary sector agencies, we searched CINAHL, MIDIRS, and BNI databases for systematic reviews published in English between Jan 1, 1985, and Feb 1, 2013, using the keywords “peer support”, “infant feeding”, or “breastfeeding”. We identified eight systematic reviews about the effectiveness of breastfeeding peer support. Acknowledging that gaps remained in the evidence about the delivery of breastfeeding peer support, we considered plausible theory and ten ethical principles (do good, do not harm, equity, respect, empowerment, sustainability, social responsibility, participation, openness, and accountability) to help guide decision making about provision of local breastfeeding peer support. We conducted a Health Inequalities Impact Assessment (HIIA) to identify how breastfeeding peer support might differentially affect those protected by the 2010 Equality Act. FindingsAlthough the breastfeeding peer support guidance was informed by systematic review level evidence, we also needed to address issues for which we lacked such evidence. Thus, the presentation of the current national and international policy context, summaries of relevant randomised controlled trials, and definitions of breastfeeding peer support, contributed to the guidance. The integration of the HIIA findings that were cross-referenced with the consideration of ethical principles provided a template of how health boards and voluntary sector agencies might conduct their own HIIA and apply ethical decision making in response to local breastfeeding peer support issues. InterpretationAdopting this pragmatic approach has enabled meaningful engagement that takes account of professional experience. This approach has helped produce guidance that is realistic in aiming to change and enhance current breastfeeding practice in Scotland. FundingNone.

From Ethical Principles to Financial Decision Theoretical Foundations and Empirical Comparison with Conventional Banks of Islamic Banks Capital Structure

The aim of this research is to analyze consequences of the consideration of ethical principles in the financial decisions process of banks. More specifically we study how the consideration of Shariah principles could affect the capital structure of Islamic Banks. We first apply concepts and reasoning of classical theories of capital structure (trade-off theory, pecking order theory, agency theory) in the specific context of Islamic Banks. We then study empirically differences between Islamic and conventional banks capital structure and its traditional determinants. Our sample is made of Islamic and conventional banks, resulting in a panel of 113 banks (with 44 of the Islamic) over the period 2005-2010. We run panel data regressions showing that the sign of the impact of traditional determinants on capital structure is the same for Islamic and conventional banks but the impact is greater in absolute value for the first group. Moreover the fact to be Islamic has a strong significant positive effect on the equity to total asset ratio. This result means that variables specific to Islamic banks not taken into account by traditional theory explain why these banks have a higher equity to capital ratio.

Eliciting Narratives of Teenage Pregnancy in the UK

In 2004, a regional government funded Teenage Pregnancy Reintegration Service commissioned the Salford Centre for Social Work Research, University of Salford, UK, to undertake an evaluation of their work. The project was primarily concerned with the experiences of young people who had become parents under the age of 16 years. Following extended negotiation on methodological design (which in addition to the consideration of ethical principles took into account the competing perspectives of the standpoint and positioned perspectives) qualitative research involving the narrative accounts of teenagers and their parents/carers was embarked upon. This article outlines and reflexively explores some of the methodological difficulties encountered, with particular attention being given to the challenge of eliciting narratives from teenage mothers. This exercise provides an example of the way in which stigmatizing discourses and emotional defences may contribute to the recruitment of research respondents and the narrative accounts provided. It is intended that this will illustrate the complexities involved when sensitive topics are pursued. While emanating from an

The World is Flat in the Twenty-First Century: A Response to Hasnas

ABSTRACT: Hasnas is correct that ethicists should pay attention to law and be on guard for perverse effects from regulation and legal interpretations that may encourage or require unethical behavior. He is not correct that the business ethics literature assumes that law and ethics consistently pull in the same direction. Analysis of the relationship between law and ethics requires nuanced, in-depth treatment. An example is provided regarding the well-known case of United States v. Park. Ultimately, there is a need for more serious consideration of ethical principles and norms in legal policy making and practice.