Ethics Service Research Articles

Development of a multicomponent intervention to increase parental vaccine confidence and young people’s access to the universal HPV vaccination programme in England: protocol for a co-design study

IntroductionPersistent infection with HPV can result in cancers affecting men and, especially, women. Lower uptake exists by area and different population groups. Increasing parental confidence about, and adolescent access to,...

A feasibility study evaluating the uptake, effectiveness and acceptability of routine screening of pregnant migrants for latent tuberculosis infection in antenatal care: a research protocol

IntroductionGlobally, tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of death in women of reproductive age and there is high risk of reactivation of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in pregnancy. The uptake...

Islamic Service Ethics and Organizational Culture on Service Quality and Taxpayer Satisfaction

The purpose of this study is to analyze Islamic Service Ethics and Organizational Culture on Service Quality and Taxpayer Satisfaction at the Office of the Wajo Samsat Revenue Technical Implementation Unit. This study uses a quantitative approach (Quantitative approach), performs data analysis procedures with statistical equipment and aims to test hypotheses. Between one variable and another or how a variable affects other variables through hypothesis testing. This data is directly obtained from field research through direct observation of the object to be studied through data collection techniques in the form of interviews, questionnaires, and observations. In this study, the population selected were all 4-wheeled vehicle taxpayers in Samsat, Wajo district. Based on the data that has been collected and hypothesis testing with Smartpls. The results showed that Islamic service ethics had a positive and significant effect on service quality. Organizational culture has a negative and significant effect on service quality. Islamic service ethics have a positive and significant effect on taxpayer satisfaction. Organizational culture has a negative and significant effect on taxpayer satisfaction. Service quality has a positive and significant effect on taxpayer satisfaction. Islamic service ethics have a positive and significant effect on taxpayer satisfaction through service quality. Organizational culture has a negative and significant effect on taxpayer satisfaction through service quality.

Public Service Ethics for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Prevention of Corruption

본 연구에서는 4차 산업혁명이 공직자의 공직윤리에 어떠한 영향을 줄 수 있으며 이를 위하여 어떠한 공직자의 윤리가 확립되어야 하는지를 살펴보았다. 4차 산업혁명이 공직에 미치는 영향으로는 첫째, 4차 산업혁명은 공직에서 전문직공직자에 대한 역할이 증가하면서 반복적이며 단순한 일의 경우는 AI가 결정하는 일이 많아지겠지만 중요한 정책은 결국 공무원이 결정해야 할 것이다. 단순한 정책결정에서 AI의 결정은 헌신, 소명감, 사명의식 등이 반영되지 않는 기계적인 결정이 이루어질 가능성이 있어 공직자의 책임성 문제를 유발 할 수 있다. 둘째, 전문기술과 지식을 기반으로 집중된 소수의 결정으로 직권남용 및 횡령 등의 부패가 발생할 가능성도 있다. 셋째, 많은 데이터의 수집을 통한 정책결정 시 개인정보를 침해 할 가능성이 있다. 따라서 공직자들은 4차 산업혁명에 대응하기 위하여 다음가 같은 능력이 요구된다. 첫째, 과학기술에 대한 지식확보, 둘째, 고품질의 데이터, 즉 전문성과 데이터의 결합, 셋째, 시민과의 협업을 위한 투명성과 정보공유, 넷째, 정부, 기업, 시민 간의 다양한 글로벌 네트워크를 통한 성과공유와 위협에 대한 공동대처, 다섯째, 열린 마음, 그리고 규제절차의 지속적 개선을 포함한 민첩한 업무대응이다. 이러한 능력을 기반으로 4차 산업혁명에 필요한 공직자 공직윤리를 구축하기 위하여 다름과 같은 요소가 고려되어야 한다. 첫째, 4차 산업혁명에 적합한 새로운 공직윤리규범의 설정이 필요하다. 둘째, 인간에 대한 이해 즉, 인문적교육(윤리교육)이 강화되어야 한다. 셋째, 업무수행에서 취득하게 된 개인정보의 엄격한 보호 및 프라이버지 침해에 대한 공직윤리의 규제가 필요하다.

Hypnotherapy for procedural pain, itch, and state anxiety in children with acute burns: a feasibility and acceptability study protocol

BackgroundBurns and related procedures are painful and distressing for children, exposing them to acute and chronic sequelae that can negatively affect their physiological, psychological, and social functions. Non-pharmacological interventions such as distraction techniques are beneficial adjuncts to pharmacological agents for procedural pain, state anxiety, and itch in children with burns but have limitations (e.g. lack of research on burn-related itch, tailoring, and consensus on optimal treatment). Hypnotherapy is a non-pharmacological intervention that can be tailored for varied settings and populations with evidence of benefit for itch and superior effectiveness in comparison to other non-pharmacological interventions for children’s procedural pain and state anxiety. Thus, children with burns can benefit from hypnotherapy as an adjunct to pharmacological agents. Yet, in paediatric burns, rigorous studies of effectiveness are limited and no studies have been identified that screen for hypnotic suggestibility, an important predictor of hypnotherapy outcomes. Considering potential barriers to the delivery of hypnotherapy in paediatric burns, the proposed study will examine the feasibility and acceptability of hypnotic suggestibility screening followed by hypnotherapy for procedural pain, state anxiety, and itch in children with acute burns.MethodsAn observational mixed-methods feasibility and acceptability study will be conducted over 15 weeks. Eligible children (N = 30) aged 4 to 16 years presenting to a paediatric burns outpatient centre in a metropolitan children’s hospital in Australia with acute burns requiring dressing changes will be included. Eligible parents of children (N = up to 30) and clinicians who perform dressing changes (N = up to 20) will also be included. Child participants screened as having medium to high suggestibility as assessed by behavioural measures will receive hypnotherapy during dressing changes. A process evaluation will target feasibility and acceptability as primary outcomes and implementation (i.e. fidelity in delivery), reach, potential effectiveness, and adoption of evaluation procedures and intervention as secondary outcomes.DiscussionEthical approval was obtained from the Queensland Children’s Hospital and Health Service ethics committee. Results will be published in peer-reviewed publications and conference proceedings.The findings will guide the design of future trials on the effectiveness of hypnotherapy and inform the development of child-centred hypnotic interventions in children with burns.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12620000988954

Technology Ethics in Public Service: Envisioning the Role of the Techno-Ethicist

In terms of technological progress, students of public administration confront a challenging dilemma where normative reflection in the realm of technology ethics has not kept pace with the rapidity and magnitude of technological advancement. Consequently, this necessitates further reflection on how to best apply aspects of ethical behavior to the development and usage of technology in the public sector. The significant role of the technology ethics in public service has received meager consideration in the literature, lacking a theoretical foundation that can help guide practitioners (as techno-ethicists) through rapid transitions in technological progress. Using the philosophy of technology literature, this article seeks to address this gap in public administration theory by considering first, how technological advancements affect the nature of didactic power relationships between the public and government; and second how the concept of technological nonneutrality is framed as a basis for structuring what obligations public administrators have when adopting and using technology in public service. This includes reflection upon the expanding role of newer technologies such as Artificial Intelligence in reshaping the nature of government-society relationships. Framing techno-ethical principles in theoretical dialogue prompts greater awareness for how practitioners may effectively respond as moral agents to rapidly changing technological advancements.

Investigating the uptake, effectiveness and safety of COVID-19 vaccines: protocol for an observational study using linked UK national data

IntroductionThe novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which emerged in December 2019, has caused millions of deaths and severe illness worldwide. Numerous vaccines are currently under development of which a few have now...

Utility and reliability of the Clinical Frailty Scale in patients scheduled for major vascular surgery: a prospective, observational, multicentre observer-blinded study

BackgroundFrailty is a distinctive health state associated with a loss of physiological reserve that results in higher rates of perioperative complications and impaired return to pre-morbid functional status. It is prevalent in the vascular population; however routine assessment is not common despite national guidance to the contrary. We aimed to evaluate the reliability of the Clinical Frailty Scale in assessing frailty in the surgical vascular population.MethodsIn this prospective, observational, observer-blinded study, we compared assessment of frailty in patients scheduled for major vascular surgery attending the pre-operative assessment clinic using the Clinical Frailty Scale against the Edmonton Frailty Scale.The study investigator completed the Edmonton Frailty Scale assessment; this was compared to the Clinical Frailty Scale assessments performed by the pre-assessment consultant and pre-assessment nurse, who were blinded to the Edmonton Frailty Scale score. The inter-rater reliability of the Clinical Frailty Scale between the pre-assessment consultant and pre-assessment nurse was determined by comparing their frailty scores for each patient.ResultsNinety-seven patients were included in the analysis (median age 72 years, 84% male and 16% female). There was a moderate level of agreement between the Edmonton and Clinical Frailty Scale score for both consultants (87.6% agreement) and pre-assessment nurses (87.6% agreement). There was a substantial level of agreement between consultants and pre-assessment nurses for the Clinical Frailty Scale (89.7% agreement)ConclusionsThe Clinical Frailty Scale is a useful tool to assess frailty in the vascular surgical population. It is more practical than the Edmonton Frailty Scale: quick to complete, requires minimal training and can be used when physical disability is present.Trial registrationThe study was approved by the Wales Health and Care Research Ethics Service (REC reference 17/WA/0160, IRAS 201173). Trial registration: NCT03403673. Registered 19 January 2018, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03403673

UNDERSTANDING PUBLIC SERVICE ETHICS IN PERSPECTIVE THE NEW PARADIGM OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

This study aims to provide an overview in understanding public service ethics according to the perspective of the new administrative paradigm so that it can be taken into consideration in the implementation of public services in Indonesia. The type of research used is a qualitative research type. Data collection techniques were carried out through a review of literature, literature, scientific journals and statutory documents that were collected to find their relevance to the research theme. The results show that public service ethics in a new paradigm of public administration such as the New Public Service (NPS) that can be used as a reference by bureaucrats is where bureaucrats in carrying out their duties and functions are considered good or ethical if they are responsible and have high professionalism or competence. and have responsibility in carrying out their duties and authorities. Service personnel must also pay attention to efficiency, effectiveness and economy. equality and justice. The most important of a public service is the fulfillment of the needs of the public being served so as to create satisfaction for the community. What is expected in public service ethics according to the new public service (NPS) paradigm is the emergence of self-awareness of bureaucrats based on the norm values in the code of ethics. From that, the most important thing is the awareness of the service apparatus that the service tasks carried out are not only accountable to the people and the state, but also to God Almighty.

Applications of operant demand to treatment selection II: Covariance of evidence strength and treatment consumption.

Evidence-based practices (EBPs) are a critical component of effective and ethical service delivery. Clinicians in the behavioral sciences regularly advocate for the use of therapies and interventions based on the strength and breadth of scientific evidence. However, caregiver choices related to specific behavior therapies are seldom based solely on the degree (or the presence) of scientific evidence. This study applied methods from the Operant Demand Framework to characterize caregiver choices when concurrently available behavior therapies varied in terms of unit price and levels of evidence. Four Hypothetical Treatment Purchase Tasks were designed to evaluate how relative differences in scientific evidence between behavior therapies influenced the demand for, and substitutability of, EBPs. Results from 106 caregivers recruited from the Amazon Mechanical Turk platform indicated that low-, moderate-, and high-evidence treatment choices all functioned as substitutes for a high-evidence (i.e., well-established) behavior therapy. A main effect was observed for the level of evidence, whereby the strength of evidence appeared to moderate the degree to which respective treatments functioned as substitutes. These results extend the literature on the factors associated with treatment choices, and specifically, highlight how differences in the degree of scientific evidence influence choice when deciding between behavior therapies. These results are discussed in the context of more effectively advocating for the use of EBPs with mainstream and lay audiences.

Методико-педагогические возможности дисциплины «Этика государственной и муниципальной службы»

The article discusses the main methodological possibilities of the discipline "Ethics of state and municipal service" for implementing a number of competencies. The author comes to the conclusion that the effectiveness and quality of education in this discipline depends on the personal contribution of the teacher, his methodological and pedagogical experience, personal position and love for his profession.

"I, Thomas Usk, Traitor": The Testament of Love and the Ethics and Politics of Service

"I, Thomas Usk, Traitor": The Testament of Love and the Ethics and Politics of Service

Consumer renaissance in Alternative Agri-Food Networks between collective action and co-production

In recent years, a dramatic increase in Alternative Agri-Food Networks (AAFNs) has been interpreted by experts of the sector as triggered by innovative food supply chains capable to reconnect producers with consumers. Simultaneously, the worldwide growth of consumers’ initiatives towards AAFNs is reducing the distance with producers shortening the supply chain and enhancing its value added. Examples of these consumers’ experiences have been reported in Japan, Europe, the USA, and Canada, and differ according to the degree of participants’ commitment to the logistics and the management of the initiatives. In general terms, these experiences could represent instances of co-production practices involving thousands of citizens who are seeking quality, sustainable, healthy, and ethical products and services reducing the uncertainty of food credence attributes. In this framework, the overall objective of this paper is to contribute to the scanty literature on food associations and cooperatives co-producing private goods with citizens contributing to marketing services such as procurement, storage, pricing, and quality assurance. Specifically, the focus is on the experience of Camilla, a food consumption cooperative that recently established an outlet to stock and sell food and non-food quality goods in Bologna (Italy). Camilla is the first Italian experience of a shop self-managed by its customers - who are also the owners - who practice critical consumption by supplying organic products at fair and sustainable prices while promoting small local productions as well as Fair Trade productions. A deep, participatory, and immersive ethnographic project was carried out between January and October 2019 to understand the functioning, the motivations and the drivers underpinning the process of citizens’ self-organisation in the domain of the food sector. Results provide useful insights on the way in which these innovative AAFNs are organised and on the reasons pushing people to join these initiatives. Key questions emerging from outcomes of the Camilla case study are discussed from an empirical and theoretical point of view.

The Relationship Between Fitness for the Profession and Ethical Development: An Undergraduate Human Services Program Model

The human services profession calls for practitioners to be fit for the profession, a concept reflected in its ethical standards. It is imperative that human services students understand and abide by these ethical standards. However, many students might not receive adequate training and experience with Ethical Standards for Human Service Professionals (ESHSP) or ethics in addition to facing fitness issues during their training and beyond. This article describes a human services program’s professional fitness policy and ethical programming and reviews the need for attaining and maintaining professional fitness and adequate ethical development for human services students. Implications of such fitness policies and ethics programming for the profession are discussed along with limitations to these practices.

“Nothing about us, without us”? A qualitative study of service user involvement in the development of lay-delivered psychological interventions in contexts affected by humanitarian crises

Background: Service user involvement has become increasingly prioritised within health research, and more recently, within mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS). However, there is limited exploration of service user involvement in the development of lay-delivered MHPSS psychological interventions. The aim of this research was to investigate how service users have been involved in the development of lay-delivered psychological interventions for populations affected by humanitarian crises. Methods: Thirteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with respondents involved in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of lay-delivered MHPSS psychological interventions, either as principal investigators or as focal points for service user involvement. Thematic data analysis used was used to analyse the data. Results: There was a common perception that service user involvement is vital to the development of lay-delivered psychological interventions, but there was concern about how that happened in practice. Respondents desired to increase service user involvement, but they either did not know how to do this into practice or felt that they lacked the resources to do so. Recommendations were made for strengthening involvement, such as employing service users onto research teams. However, legal difficulties in compensating service users for their work were raised. Conclusion: Service user involvement was viewed as vital in the development of lay delivered psychological interventions, but remains predominantly tokenistic, partly due to limited guidance, time, and finances. Guidelines could support more meaningful and ethical service user involvement in lay-delivered psychological interventions in areas affected by humanitarian crises.

The need for clinical ethics consultation: a monocentric observational survey study in the intensive care unit (Consul.E.T.I. study)

BackgroundThe current organizational structure of the Italian healthcare system does not include the institutionalization of clinical ethics services.To describe the need for structured clinical ethics consultation services for ICU staff members in the intensive care unit (ICU), a monocentric observational survey study was performed utilizing a paper-based questionnaire.ResultsA total of 73 healthcare professionals (HCPs) responded out of a team of 84 people (87%). The results showed that the need for ethics consultation in the ICU is urgent, the institutionalization of the clinical ethics service is perceived as useful and should be a priority, and the issues on which the HCPs would like ethics consultation to focus are various and belong to “end of life” topics.ConclusionsHCPs believe that the clinical ethicist should become an integral part of ICU healthcare teams, offering consultations similar to the other specialistic consultations carried out in hospitals.

Artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance breast cancer screening: protocol for population-based cohort study of cancer detection

IntroductionArtificial intelligence (AI) algorithms for interpreting mammograms have the potential to improve the effectiveness of population breast cancer screening programmes if they can detect cancers, including interval cancers, without contributing...

Allen Ginsberg’s Jeremiad

Abstract “Howl” continues to capture popular and academic imaginations. This article explores the categorical fault lines between modernist and postmodernist epistemologies as they are applied to Ginsberg’s poetic project. Reframing “religion” in postmodern terms, this article argues that even dominative categories and processes might be refashioned and deployed in the service of emancipatory and (counter)normative ethics and politics.

Virtual Visitation and Microethical Decision-making in the Intensive Care Unit During COVID-19.

Virtual Visitation and Microethical Decision-making in the Intensive Care Unit During COVID-19.

Evaluation of the mechanisms of sarcopenia in chronic inflammatory disease: protocol for a prospective cohort study

BackgroundSeveral chronic inflammatory diseases co-exist with and accelerate sarcopenia (reduction in muscle strength, function and mass) and negatively impact on both morbidity and mortality. There is currently limited research on the extent of sarcopenia in such conditions, how to accurately assess it and whether there are generic or disease-specific mechanisms driving sarcopenia. Therefore, this study aims to identify potential mechanisms driving sarcopenia within chronic inflammatory disease via a multi-modal approach; in an attempt to help define potential interventions for future use.MethodsThis prospective cohort study will consist of a multi-modal assessment of sarcopenia and its underlying mechanisms. Recruitment will target three chronic inflammatory diseases: chronic liver disease (CLD) (n=50), with a subset of NAFLD (n=20), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (n=50) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (n=50) both before and after therapeutic intervention. In addition, 20 age and sex matched healthy individuals will be recruited for comparison. Participants will undergo 4 assessment visits at weeks 0, 2, 12 and 24. Visits will consist of the following assessments: blood tests, anthropometrics, functional assessment, quadriceps muscle imaging, actigraphy, quality of life questionnaires, food diary collection and muscle biopsy of the vastus lateralis (at weeks 2 and 24 only). In addition, stool and urine samples will be collected for future microbiome and metabolomics analysis.DiscussionThis is the first study to use a multi-modal assessment model to phenotype sarcopenia in these chronic inflammatory diseases. We hope to identify generic as well as disease-specific mechanisms driving sarcopenia. We appreciate that these cohorts do require separate standards of care treatments which limit comparison between groups.Ethics and disseminationThe study is approved by the Health Research Authority - West Midlands Solihull Research Ethics Service Committee Authority (REC reference: 18/WM/0167). Recruitment commenced in January 2019 and will continue until July 2021. The study was halted in March 2020 and again in January 2021 with the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. All data will be stored on a secure server.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04734496