Ethical Component Research Articles

Ethics practices associated with reusing health data: an assessment of patient registries

BackgroundAs routinely collected patient data have become increasingly accessible over the years, more attention has been directed at the ethics of using such data for research. Patient data is often available to researchers through patient registries that typically collect data of patients with a specific condition. While ethical guidelines for using patient data are presented frequently in the literature, it is currently unknown how patient registries implement the recommendations from these guidelines in practice and how they communicate their practices. In this project, we assessed to what extent a sample of 51 patient registries provides information about a range of ethics practices.MethodsWe searched for patient registries in the resource database of the European Network of Centres for Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacovigilance (ENCePP). Our ethics reporting checklist was based on three sources: the Registry Evaluation and Quality Standards Tool (REQueST), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) guide for good registry practices, and a systematic review of the principles and norms related to health data sharing by Kalkman and colleagues. The checklist includes 26 questions about five ethics components: governance, conflicts of interest, informed consent, privacy and data protection, and use-and-access.ResultsWe found substantial heterogeneity in the way patient registries provide information about ethics practices. Patient registries often mentioned their governance structure and any potential conflicts of interests but typically did not describe the responsibilities and rights allocated to their funders. Information about informed consent was often provided to patients, but the available documents often lacked relevant information like the benefits and risks of participation. Privacy and data protection and use-and-access policies were typically discussed but not very concretely.ConclusionsWe conclude that registries typically provide information about key ethics practices such as governance, conflicts of interest, informed consent, privacy and data protection, and use-and-access procedures, but this information is often not as detailed as recommended in existing guidelines. The ethics reporting checklist we designed could be helpful for the ethical assessments of patient registries and other types of registries in the future as well as for self-assessment of registries aiming to improve their ethics practices.

Nativeness as Gradient: Towards a More Complete Value Assessment of Species in a Rapidly Changing World

Conservation biologists recognize a duty to maintain as much value as possible in ecosystems that are threatened by recent anthropogenic impacts. Until recently the paradigm of contemporary conservation seemed relatively straightforward: the best way to maintain the value of species and ecosystems at a given location was to maintain—or shepherd the system back towards—historical conditions. Among the most difficult theoretical tasks was the determination of “baseline” historical conditions (or trajectories) to return to, recognizing the dynamism of ecosystems over time. However, the rate, scale, and magnitude of contemporary climate change, species introductions, and land-use change make it increasingly impractical to return locations to any kind of historical state. This forces a paradigm shift which is both ongoing and difficult, and necessitates a rigorous evaluation of the scientific and ethical foundations of modern conservation along with a careful reexamination of terminology. Here, I discuss the moral relevance and waning utility of the geographically-based and dichotomous understanding of “native” (or “in situ”) which is an important component of conservation ethics and practice. I then propose a new understanding of nativeness in which a species is native—not to a geographic location—but to a quantifiable set of biotic, climatic, geologic, and topographic conditions (i.e. its niche) that can then map to geographic space. Following this, I demonstrate the unique utility of this concept, which I will refer to as “econativeness,” in thinking through conservation problems—range expansions, range contractions, species introductions, and assisted migration—where the classical understanding of nativeness has become increasingly inadequate for assessing the moral value of species.

Some practical aspects of the implementation of the institute for advanced training of Ukrainian lawyers

It is indicated that the procedure for improving the qualifications of lawyers provides for a rather voluminous list of possible types of raising their professional level, among which measures organized by the operators of improving the qualifications of lawyers occupy a decisive place, but also that a significant emphasis of such measures is aimed at ensuring the quality of their organization, in particular, by establishing essential professional, personal and ethical requirements for lecturers and their practical direction. This article is aimed at revealing some practical aspects of the mechanism of the lawyer’s implementation of his professional duty to improve his qualifications. Thus, the scientific work reveals the essence of the ethical component as a necessary element of such a mechanism, and also analyzes the grounds for exempting a lawyer from the obligation to improve his qualifications. Within the framework of this article, the legal regulation of the procedure for the lawyer to fulfill his duty to improve his qualifications was analyzed, namely through the prism of the need to master high standards of ethical behavior. Attention is drawn to the positivity of the provisions of the Ukrainian legislation, according to which a lawyer, improving his qualifications, must necessarily acquire a certain set of knowledge (in particular, concerning issues of lawyer ethics). This provision of domestic legislation generally corresponds to the legislation of many countries of the world (France, Italy, Norway, the Czech Republic, Ireland, etc.), especially in the context of professional development by lawyers who have just acquired this status (young lawyers). It is concluded that the National Association of Lawyers of Ukraine needs to develop appropriate measures (programs) that would provide an opportunity to obtain an ethical component as a necessary condition for improving the qualifications of a lawyer on a free basis. The legislation of foreign countries, which apply certain grounds for exemption from the obligation to improve the qualifications of lawyers, is also studied. The position is argued about the expediency of enshrining the provision according to which from the obligation to upgrade the qualifications not only of lawyers who have stopped their activities, lost their ability to work or have other good reasons, but also lawyers who have reached a certain age (for example, 65 years old), are engaged in the practice of law have been active for more than 30 years, or have a Doctor of Science degree and are recognized specialists in the field of law.

Developing a conceptual framework for the practical ethics of prescribing in medical school curricula

Prescribing medications has traditionally been conceptualised as a technical process and skill in medical education, failing to acknowledge broader social, political, and economic dimensions. Consequently it’s ethical component is often overlooked. Existing educational approaches in medicine have predominantly covered ethics in abstract terms, which fail to equip students with an understanding of the complexity of ethical decision-making in real-world medical practice. This essay seeks to address this gap by proposing a conceptual framework to understand the practical ethics of prescribing in terms of its broader determinants. The authors emphasise the contextual factors that determine how ethical prescribing, and its coverage in medical curricula, can be defined. They propose that the framework outlined in this article can be the basis for cross-cultural dialogue. It can help tailor educational approaches and support future physicians in understanding and navigating the complex landscape that shapes their prescribing decisions. Keywords: Ethical Prescribing, Conceptual Framework, Professionalism, Medical Education, Healthcare Systems.

From Bench to Bedside: Implementing AI Ethics as Policies for AI Trustworthiness

It is well known that successful human-AI collaboration depends on the perceived trustworthiness of the AI. We argue that a key to securing trust in such collaborations is ensuring that the AI competently addresses ethics' foundational role in engagements. Specifically, developers need to identify, address, and implement mechanisms for accommodating ethical components of AI choices. We propose an approach that instantiates ethics semantically as ontology-based moral policies. To accommodate the wide variation and interpretation of ethics, we capture such variations into ethics sets, which are situationally specific aggregations of relevant moral policies. We are extending our ontology-based policy management systems with new representations and capabilities to allow trustworthy AI-human ethical collaborative behavior. Moreover, we believe that such AI-human ethical encounters demand that trustworthiness is bi-directional – humans need to be able to assess and calibrate their actions to be consistent with the trustworthiness of AI in a given context, and AIs need to be able to do the same with respect to humans.

Nurses' Advocacy in Intensive Care: What Insights Can Nurses' Experiences During the Pandemic Reveal?

Patient advocacy must be understood as an ethical component of nursing practice that involves respecting and defending patients' rights and autonomy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the vulnerability of patients in intensive care units (ICUs) increased requiring that nurses advocate for those patients more than ever in a context in which changes in daily nursing practices of care imposed by the pandemic deeply impacted nurses' advocacy. In this study, we examined ICU nurses' patient advocacy during the pandemic, using feminist ethics as a theoretical lens. Twenty-five ICU nurses from Brazil participated in individual interviews. Our findings reflect that advocacy is a moral component of nursing identity. This moral identity represents the identity of nurses as a profession as it represents their values and responsibilities which are social in nature. Although the pandemic challenged nurses' advocacy practices these professionals had an important role to give voice to patients and to preserve their autonomy and dignity, strengthening patient-centered care.

Understanding mealtime behavioral problems in nursing home residents living with dementia: a group concept mapping approach

BackgroundPersons with dementia frequently experience mealtime behavioral problems that can result in reduced or lack of intake of food or fluids. Multiple underlying causes and expressions of mealtime behavioral problems complicate its interpretation and intervention, because problems originating from cognitive and functional decline and behavioral changes may interact. Healthcare professionals and family caregivers may encounter a variety of practical and moral dilemmas in dealing with these problems. We aimed at a better understanding of mealtime behavioral problems and related complex issues in nursing home residents with dementia from a daily practice perspective.MethodsWe used a mixed-method Group Concept Mapping approach in this study, and collected data online with a panel of 67 healthcare professionals, researchers and relatives from across The Netherlands. The participants contributed to either or all of the following phases: (1) the generation of ideas (brainstorm), (2) sorting, and (3) rating of the ideas. Subsequent phases included data analysis with Groupwisdom® software and interpretation of the results. Multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis resulted in a concept map visualizing the coherence and importance of ideas. Bridging values were calculated, with low values indicating a distinct, clear concept.ResultsBrainstorming resulted in 285 statements representing 85 ideas. The concept map visualized three categories capturing ten clusters which describe the management of mealtime behavioral problems, causes of mealtime behavioral problems, and expressions and interpretations of mealtime behavioral problems. Concepts reflecting direct consequences, ethical components, and considerations to handle challenging situations overlapped on the concept map with the highest bridging values (range 0.58–0.87).ConclusionThis study added to unraveling the complex nature of mealtime behavioral problems, as perceived in practice. It is recommended to comprehensively analyze all components in the management of these problems, in particular being aware of ethical factors and align care for residents with dementia accordingly.

Historical Continuity and Scientific Ethics in the Psychological Legacy of G. V. Sukhodolsky (For the 90th Anniversary of His Birth)

The article is devoted to the author’s reflection and analysis of a number of episodes of the scientific biography of the famous Soviet scientist, a prominent representative of the Leningrad/St. Petersburg Psychological School, Gennady Vladimirovich Sukhodolsky. His struggle for the ethical component of scientific activity, for historical continuity in Russian psychological science at all stages of its development is shown. His work on the return of the honest name of N.Ya. Growth is being considered. The rehabilitation of pre-revolutionary Russian psychology, which was ideologically influence in Soviet times, has been carried out. The role of scientific schools and their leaders in ensuring historical continuity and scientific ethics in Russian psychology is discussed.

Challenges in Paediatric Xenotransplantation: Ethical Components Requiring Distinct Attention in Children and Obligations to Patients and Society.

The transplantation of non-human organs into humans, or xenotransplantation (XTx), has recently garnered new attention and is being developed to help address the problem of organ scarcity in transplantation. Ethical issues surrounding XTx have been studied since initial interest arose decades ago and have experienced renewed discussion in the literature. However, the distinct and relevant differences when applied to children has largely been overlooked with few groups attending to the concerns that XTx in children raises. In this paper, we explore ethical challenges to be expected in paediatric XTx, in particular exploring organ sizing concerns, infectious risks, psychological burdens, and issues of moral hazard. We review these domains with the aim of highlighting the implications of pursuing paediatric XTx and the cross-disciplinary approach needed to solve these issues. Children require a unique analysis from a bioethical perspective to best prepare for the issues XTx presents.

“THE ETHICISATION OF RELIGION” IN THE RELIGIOUS AND PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWS OF M. TAREEV

The subject of the research in the article is the reception of I. Kant’s practical philosophy in the ethical component of the religious and philosophical views of M. Tareev. The hypothesis of the study is the assumption that there is a systemic influence of Kantian ethics and theology on the formation of M. Tareev’s religious and philosophical ideas, which manifested itself in borrowing the method and key concepts of practical philosophy, as well as the central concepts of I. Kant’s philosophy of religion. The research methodology is based on the systematic philosophical approach combined with the method of conceptual analysis of the sources of views and the method of historical and philosophical reconstruction. The novelty of the article lies in substantiating the central importance of the method and key concepts of I. Kant’s practical philosophy, such as the ideas of autonomy of the will, moral obligation and ethical community of people as sources of formation of M. Tareev’s own ideas.

Through the looking glass; midwifery students' experience of ethical issues: A feminist explanatory case study

BackgroundThe ethical component in midwifery education is governed by international professional values, codes, and ethical principles. The aim of midwifery education is to encourage students to develop a lifelong commitment to ethical practice within their midwifery role and scope. However, little evidence is available on the experiences of midwifery students and how they navigate ethical issues in maternity systems. AimTo present a case study from a midwifery students' perspective that demonstrates observed ethical issues and to provide analysis of the ethical issues identified. DesignA Single explanatory case study design with a feminist lens applied. Explanatory case studies present the ‘how and why’ of a phenomenon and contributes to understanding phenomena in a holistic and real-life context. SettingThis project was set at a West Australian university from which pre-registration midwifery courses are delivered. ParticipantsA solitary case study is presented from a midwifery students' clinical placement. MethodsEthics were approved 2023-04805. Edith Cowan University HREC. The source of data for this case study was direct observation by the primary author (Priya, 2021) and the Joanna Briggs Methods for Case study reporting guide followed. Thematic analysis with a feminist lens was applied to the data. ResultsThree themes were generated ‘Through the looking glass; observing ethical issues’; ‘Whose body Is It? The Erosion of Maternal Consent’ and ‘Relational care versus defensive practice’. These themes explain the antecedents and consequences of the ethical issues identified by the midwifery student, the findings are supported by ethical theory and midwifery philosophy to highlight some of the underlying causes that contribute to ethical issues. ConclusionMidwifery students experience ethical distress when they observe ethical issues and are powerless to support birth people in a way that aligns with midwifery philosophy of relational, woman-centred care. Further research is required to better understand how midwifery students may be better supported to foster ethical care.

Disclosure of medical errors to patients by medical professionals: a protocol for a qualitative systematic review

IntroductionAlthough the disclosure of medical errors is an integral component of medical ethics, it remains inconsistent in practice worldwide. Despite various explanations of why healthcare professionals reveal their mistakes to...

The Link Effect of ESG Score, Stock Price Volatility, and Tax Payment: Doing Well while Doing Good

This study aims to identify how environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance influences stock price volatility, explicitly focusing on the moderating role of tax engagement. ESG performance is measured by an ESG Score calculated from the weighting of three dimensions: environmental, social and governance. Stock price volatility is measured by the degree of price variations over 12 months based on the last 52 weeks’ prices. A sample of Indonesia-listed firms is used, with 770 observations from 2023. The results show that the ESG Score negatively impacts stock price volatility, which is more significant in the social dimension than in the environmental and governance dimensions. In addition, the tax payment variable moderates the relationship and increases the effect of the ESG Score on stock price volatility. These findings suggest that ESG practices and tax transparency are ethical elements and critical components for financial stability, promoting the high-quality development of listed firms. This study is significant for firms, regulators, policymakers and investors. Overall, it underrates the importance of firms adopting ESG activities and engaging in tax management to mitigate risks and maintain viability in the contemporary business environment. This study provides new empirical evidence regarding the factors driving corporate stock price volatility. In addition, it offers pertinent policy recommendations for businesses and governments regarding the significance of ESG investments.

Comparison of Instructions to Authors and Reporting of Ethics Components in Selected African Biomedical Journals: 2008 and 2017.

Journal editors instruct authors to describe human participant protections in original research reports. However, little is known about African biomedical journal authors' adherence to such journal editors' instructions. This study investigated changes in editors' instructions to authors and authors' reporting of research ethics information in selected African biomedical journals between 2008 and 2017. Twelve selected journal websites and online articles were reviewed in Eastern, Southern, and Western African [ESWA] countries. A pre-tested schema and a checklist were used to collect data from journal websites and articles published in 2008 and 2017, and the data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Half of the journals requested prospective authors to disclose ethics approval and related issues in their manuscripts between 2008 and 2017. There was a significant increase in instructions to authors regarding information on the protection of research participants within this period; more authors complied with these requirements in 2017 than in 2007.

How does a superior quality sign guarantee the quality of lamb meat? The Label Rouge case

Owing to the social, environmental and health changes in Europe, meat quality is becoming a critical issue for the long-term future of livestock farming. Label Rouge (LR) is a quality label owned by the French government that identifies food products produced inside or outside the European Union. This label guarantees the superior quality of a product compared with a standard product. This superior quality is guaranteed throughout the production process by specifications negotiated between the Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité (INAO) and operators in the sector. These specifications comprise two documents: first, common production conditions that apply to all specifications in a sector, and second, a book of specifications (BoSs). These two documents, which form the qualification mechanism, are divided into several parts: product name, product description, traceability, production method, labelling and the main control points. This study aims to understand how the LR defines lamb meat quality in the 11 existing BoSs using the seven dimensions of quality of animal-source foods (nutritional, sensory, commercial, technological, safety, convenience and image). We performed a computerised qualitative transversal analysis of the commitments associated with the production method and description of the product. This analysis was enriched by five semi-structured interviews with INAO members. We show that although LR is committed to all aspects of lamb meat quality, the sensory, image and carcass commercial quality attributes are predominant. However, the image attribute of quality is so ubiquitous that it required refinement to provide a better understanding of the construction of quality in terms of its environmental, ethical and cultural components.

PROSPECTS OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE METHOD OF NONVIOLENT COMMUNICATION IN SOCIAL WORK IN UKRAINE DURING THE WAR AND POST-WAR RECOVERY

The team of authors conducted systematic work on the analysis of the use of the method of nonviolent communication in various areas of social work in Ukraine and other countries of the world. During the research, the team of authors relied on a comprehensive approach, comparative analysis, and a focus group study was conducted, which revealed the need to transform the social service system in this area. The purpose of the research work is to analyze the prospects for the effective implementation of the nonviolent communication method in social work in Ukraine during the war and post-war reconstruction. We drew attention to the increase in various manifestations of violence in Ukraine during the war, which was reflected in the actualization of the issue of bullying in educational institutions, cases of violence in the family, and in the increase in violent crimes in society as a whole. In our opinion, the method of nonviolent communication is useful for a social worker in working with an aggressor and a victim, as it contains a powerful ethical and pedagogical component. As a result, we concluded that Ukraine needs a restructuring of the social service system, which contributed to solving the problems of the population in the country. The basis for the optimization of social services should be a review of standards in the field of education and pedagogy, a non-violent rethinking of the relationship «social worker - recipient of social services», as well as the restart of the judicial and social service. Based on the conducted research, we conclude that the implementation of the method of nonviolent communication in social work in Ukraine has many obstacles of a military-political, socio-state and organizational nature, but changes in the social sphere in Ukraine are needed now. In fact, this is the need for radical changes in social work with manifestations of violence, as well as the need for partnership work to restore a humanistic and non-violent space in Ukraine, starting with the family. Here the family acts as a basis for post-war social recovery.

In risk we trust? Making decisions about knee replacement

Risk communication is a key legal and ethical component of shared decision-making. Decisions about total knee replacement, a common surgery, must contend with the fact that a minority of cases result in unintended outcomes, some of which have devastating effects. To understand how risks are communicated during decision-making, we audio-recorded and analysed 62 consultations between surgeons and patients. Various communication methods were evident, including listing risks without elaboration, discussing them in a conversational manner, abrogating discussion of risk, or using decision-tools. Discussion of risks was often brief in nature, and risk communication was sometimes curtailed or deferred by both patients and surgeons. Risks could also be observed to play a part in reinforcing policy norms of the doctor-patient relationship that highlighted patient responsibility. Nevertheless, patients and surgeons in the observed consultations appeared more interested in developing trusting relationships than in discussing risks. Because patients had sometimes experienced considerable deterioration in their knee function before their consultation, were in pain and struggled with mobility, the realities of clinical practice clashed with the policy norms of choice and patient responsibility. Rather, decisions could appear coerced by the disease process rather than being clear-cut examples of self-determination. While policy norms putatively use risk disclosure to frame communication between patients and clinicians as a transaction between customer and technician, the lack of conformity to these norms in the consultations may indicate resistance to this framing. A greater emphasis on determining positive roles for trust and care would help policy to present a nuanced understanding of decision-making. Risk communication could be seen as a factor in the formation of trusting relationships, improving its role in decision-making processes while recognising its inherent tensions with practice.

An Ethical Debate in the Philosophy of Information: Is It Possible to Combine or Reconcile Multiple Ethical Theories in a Common Perspective in Artificial Intelligence?

We live in a cyber-universe created by millions of data sets. This universe, where there are almost no time-space constraints, allows people to perform activities in the intercardinal direction in a comfort they could not imagine before. At the same time, this multicultural and global world (infosphere) is a source of ethical challenges. While living in our unique culture, is it possible to share common ethical values in our world, which is becoming more global with each passing day? Or is it getting more and more impossible in this complex cyber universe? This article draws attention to Bynum's Emerging Ethics theory, which carries the umbrella concept that has the potential to unite people around some common values in ethical practices developed for intelligent systems such as artificial intelligence, even if we have different ethical approaches. The main purpose of this article is how, although different approaches they are, theories based on the common nature of human beings can be combined for the same purpose and Thanks to the 'ethical family unity' structure they have created under the ethical umbrella, it is questioned how they will determine the ethical components that can be applied to intelligence systems like AI for the solution of the common problems of the information age.

The Discourse on Ethical Veganism as a Model for Identity Construction

The text explores the ethical components of identity formation in the modern era through popular food practices. The focus of interest is veganism as a model of identity based on (the claim to) an ethical stance towards others and the world. The ways in which food today can act as a substitute for various causes are examined. In the context of contemporary culture, veganism can be interpreted between the poles of moral imperative, the concern for the health and longevity of one’s own body, and the hedonistic promise of enjoyment of food and of life itself. The methodological approach involves a review and critical reflection on the ethical component of identity construction through the prism of nutrition in contemporary culture, as well as an exploration of the manifestations of ethical veganism in specific contexts (e.g. in the debates surrounding the production and consumption of in vitro meat).

Explaining the Components of Professional Ethics in Therapeutic and Health Interactions With Patients Using the Delphi Method

Explaining the Components of Professional Ethics in Therapeutic and Health Interactions With Patients Using the Delphi Method