Potential Ethical Risks Research Articles

Ethical risks in robot health education: A qualitative study.

As health education robots may potentially become a significant support force in nursing practice in the future, it is imperative to adhere to the European Union's concept of "Responsible Research and Innovation" (RRI) and deeply reflect on the ethical risks hidden in the process of intelligent robotic health education. This study explores the perceptions of professional nursing professionals regarding the potential ethical risks associated with the clinical practice of intelligent robotic health education. This study adopts a descriptive phenomenological approach, employing Colaizzi's seven-step method for data analysis. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 17 nursing professionals from tertiary comprehensive hospitals in China. This study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Jiangsu Provincial Second Chinese Medicine Hospital. Nursing personnel, adhering to the principles of RRI and the concept of "person-centered" care, have critically reflected on the potential ethical risks inherent in robotic health education. This reflection has primarily identified six themes: (a) threats to human dignity, (b) concerns about patient safety, (c) apprehensions about privacy disclosure, (d) worries about implicit burdens, (e) concerns about responsibility attribution, and (f) expectations for social support. This study focuses on health education robots, which are perceived to have minimal ethical risks, and provides rich and detailed insights into the ethical risks associated with robotic health education. Even seemingly safe health education robots elicit significant concerns among professionals regarding their safety and ethics in clinical practice. As we move forward, it is essential to remain attentive to the potential negative impacts of robots and actively address them.

Comparing the Efficacy and Efficiency of Human and Generative AI: Qualitative Thematic Analyses.

Qualitative methods are incredibly beneficial to the dissemination and implementation of new digital health interventions; however, these methods can be time intensive and slow down dissemination when timely knowledge from the data sources is needed in ever-changing health systems. Recent advancements in generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and their underlying large language models (LLMs) may provide a promising opportunity to expedite the qualitative analysis of textual data, but their efficacy and reliability remain unknown. The primary objectives of our study were to evaluate the consistency in themes, reliability of coding, and time needed for inductive and deductive thematic analyses between GenAI (ie, ChatGPT and Bard) and human coders. The qualitative data for this study consisted of 40 brief SMS text message reminder prompts used in a digital health intervention for promoting antiretroviral medication adherence among people with HIV who use methamphetamine. Inductive and deductive thematic analyses of these SMS text messages were conducted by 2 independent teams of human coders. An independent human analyst conducted analyses following both approaches using ChatGPT and Bard. The consistency in themes (or the extent to which the themes were the same) and reliability (or agreement in coding of themes) between methods were compared. The themes generated by GenAI (both ChatGPT and Bard) were consistent with 71% (5/7) of the themes identified by human analysts following inductive thematic analysis. The consistency in themes was lower between humans and GenAI following a deductive thematic analysis procedure (ChatGPT: 6/12, 50%; Bard: 7/12, 58%). The percentage agreement (or intercoder reliability) for these congruent themes between human coders and GenAI ranged from fair to moderate (ChatGPT, inductive: 31/66, 47%; ChatGPT, deductive: 22/59, 37%; Bard, inductive: 20/54, 37%; Bard, deductive: 21/58, 36%). In general, ChatGPT and Bard performed similarly to each other across both types of qualitative analyses in terms of consistency of themes (inductive: 6/6, 100%; deductive: 5/6, 83%) and reliability of coding (inductive: 23/62, 37%; deductive: 22/47, 47%). On average, GenAI required significantly less overall time than human coders when conducting qualitative analysis (20, SD 3.5 min vs 567, SD 106.5 min). The promising consistency in the themes generated by human coders and GenAI suggests that these technologies hold promise in reducing the resource intensiveness of qualitative thematic analysis; however, the relatively lower reliability in coding between them suggests that hybrid approaches are necessary. Human coders appeared to be better than GenAI at identifying nuanced and interpretative themes. Future studies should consider how these powerful technologies can be best used in collaboration with human coders to improve the efficiency of qualitative research in hybrid approaches while also mitigating potential ethical risks that they may pose.

The Application and Ethical Issues of Digital Mental Health Services

The widespread popularity of digital technology has brought about significant changes in the treatment of mental health problems. Traditional mental health services can no longer meet the needs of society for mental health, and digital mental health services are developing vigorously. Digital mental health services have shown significant advantages in rapid diagnosis, improving mental health, and improving mental service efficiency. This article outlines the development and application of mental health services so far. On the basis of describing the various uses of digital psychological intervention measures, it focuses on the ethical issues faced by the current application of digital mental health services, such as privacy and data security caused by Big data, potential ethical risks caused by digital technology, insufficient clinical verification, imperfect market regulations and professional threats to psychological workers. To ensure the rational and compliant use of digital technology in the field of mental health, this article discusses the ethical problem- solving directions of current digital mental health services from three levels: technical policies, ethical norms and systems, and social individuals, in order to promote the integration of digital technology and mental health services and improve the quality and efficiency of digital mental health services.

Ethical Challenges of Virtual Reality Technology Interventions for the Vulnerabilities of Patients With Chronic Pain: Exploration of Technician Responsibility.

Chronic pain, a common disease, is a crucial global public health concern. Approximately 20% of the worldwide population is affected by chronic pain, which accounts for 15% to 20% of hospital visits. In Canada, approximately 7.6 million people-or 1 in 5 people-experience chronic pain. Among this population, 60% has either lost their employment or experienced a reduction in income as a result of their pain. The proportion of older people (aged ≥65 years) with chronic pain is high, comprising one-third of the total older population. In addition, the causes of chronic pain and its cures are unknown, and treatment is limited by these unknowns and the dangers of opioids. These essential factors make patients with chronic pain one of the most vulnerable populations. The use of emerging virtual reality (VR) technology as an intervention for chronic pain has consistently demonstrated early effectiveness and has been termed as a "nonpharmacological analgesic." Nevertheless, we must remain vigilant about the potential ethical risks of VR interventions, as inappropriate VR interventions may exacerbate the vulnerabilities of patients. Currently, a central challenge for VR developers is the ambiguity of patient vulnerability and the unpredictability of ethical dilemmas. Therefore, our paper focused on the vulnerability and ethical dilemmas faced by patients with chronic pain in VR interventions. Through an experience-based, prospective ethical examination, we have identified both existing and potential new vulnerabilities and specific manifestations that patients with chronic pain may encounter in VR interventions. Our aim was to highlight the ethical risks that may be present in VR interventions. On one hand, this can help raise awareness among technology developers regarding the vulnerabilities of patients with chronic pain and mitigate technological ethical risks. In addition, it can assist technology developers in determining the priorities for VR technology interventions. These efforts collectively lay a solid foundation for the comprehensive realization of responsible VR technology interventions.

Social Egg Freezing for Single Women in China: Legal and Ethical Controversies.

Social egg freezing is an emerging topic in China, where single women currently face restrictions in accessing this service at medical facilities. Administrative regulations prohibit single women from accessing all forms of assisted reproductive technologies. Both the first lawsuit filed by a single woman seeking to freeze her eggs and a legislative proposal aiming to protect single women's rights to access assisted reproductive technologies were denied. This has sparked controversy and discussion about the reproductive rights of single women and the legitimacy of their access to medical and technical assistance. Laws and family planning policies related to women's reproductive rights in China have undergone dramatic changes in recent years, owing to shifts in population growth trends and societal attitudes toward marriage and childbirth, subsequently leading to a notable enhancement in women's reproductive autonomy. Meanwhile, factors such as marital status and career considerations have led to a delay in childbearing, triggering a growing need and advocacy for fertility preservation among single women. In China, the pursuit of social egg freezing by single women comes into conflict with the strict regulatory restrictions on assisted reproductive technologies. This study delves into the profound impacts of demographic changes, marital trends, fertility culture, and other social factors on female fertility in China. It also discusses the legislative issues and medical-social ethical concerns associated with the application of social egg freezing for single women. Additionally, this study offers regulatory suggestions aimed at enhancing women's reproductive health and autonomy, as well as the avoidance of potential ethical risks.

Ethically Digital: Contested Cultural Heritage in Digital Context

Over the past century, our understanding of cultural heritage has evolved, and now, heritage is seen more as a process than a product. Although the advancement of digital technologies has significantly aided in the research, protection, management, interpretation, and education of cultural heritage, it also raises the question of how far this technology works in accordance with our current understanding of heritage as a process and is not taking a reductionist approach, in which heritage is cut off from its community and context. Ethical risks are higher for contested heritage, when meaning and values are questioned, or when people's ability to access and enjoy heritage is threatened. This paper discusses potential ethical risks regarding access, control, dissemination, and the digital economy by looking at existing approaches, guidelines, and principles in this field and a few digital heritage projects about contested heritage, and it questions whether the lack of an inclusive ethical framework could lead to a new kind of digital colonisation.
 

Ethics and emerging technologies – facial recognition

Emerging technologies and digitalization have an increasing impact on our everyday lives. New technology solutions offer a variety of opportunities to our society, yet the ethical implications of this process have long been discussed by scholars in order to fully understand what the potential ethical risks are. One of such technologies is facial recognition. This article intends to contribute to the above indicated scholarly discussion by analyzing recent developments in the field, focusing on facial recognition.

Canada protocol: An ethical checklist for the use of artificial Intelligence in suicide prevention and mental health.

Introduction: To improve current public health strategies in suicide prevention and mental health, governments, researchers and private companies increasingly use information and communication technologies, and more specifically Artificial Intelligence and Big Data. These technologies are promising but raise ethical challenges rarely covered by current legal systems. It is essential to better identify, and prevent potential ethical risks. Objectives: The Canada Protocol - MHSP is a tool to guide and support professionals, users, and researchers using AI in mental health and suicide prevention. Methods: A checklist was constructed based upon ten international reports on AI and ethics and two guides on mental health and new technologies. 329 recommendations were identified, of which 43 were considered as applicable to Mental Health and AI. The checklist was validated, using a two round Delphi Consultation. Results: 16 experts participated in the first round of the Delphi Consultation and 8 participated in the second round. Of the original 43 items, 38 were retained. They concern five categories: "Description of the Autonomous Intelligent System" (n=8), "Privacy and Transparency" (n=8), "Security" (n=6), "Health-Related Risks" (n=8), "Biases" (n=8). The checklist was considered relevant by most users, and could need versions tailored to each category of target users.

Ethical stakes of Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0 provokes a shift in the way production systems are designed and used that raises ethical questions. This shift stems from several features relevant to Industry 4.0, specifically the increase of the importance of the digital world and the fostering of the development of more autonomous and intelligent systems that will interact and interoperate with humans in more open production environments. The first aim of this paper is to study to what extent Industry 4.0 impacts ethics. The second one is to raise the awareness of researchers regarding potential ethical risks when designing and evaluating future Industry 4.0 compliant production systems. For that purpose, the ethical stakes of industry 4.0 are first presented. Then, an overview of related work is done to evaluate the different scientific fields potentially contributing to the study of the ethical dimension in Industry 4.0. A discussion is finally proposed from this overview. The main conclusion of this discussion concerns the urgent need to address the ethical dimension of scientific contributions relevant to Industry 4.0, given the lack of work in that field.

The Ethics of Student Participation in Economic Experiments: Arguments and Evidence

Ethics review boards scrutinise the recruitment of students as “over-researched” study participants. This challenges economists conducting standard university lab experiments. We discuss the potential ethical risks of economic experiments for student participants and identify potential design countermeasures to alleviate such concerns. We test these experimentally and find support for some (debriefings, informed consent procedures, educational relevance, non-teacher experimenters) but not others (opt-in, recruitment databases, private payment delivery, experiments outside class time and flat rewards). Moreover, there are gender differences in participants’ perceptions of the countermeasures. The paper is intended to inform experimental economists who want to (1) design experiments and protocols to reduce ethical risks without sacrificing scientific integrityand (2) develop arguments for their design choices in ethical review processes. We call for and inform an experimental economics ethics code to address the growing awareness and governance of experimental ethics issues.

Audit Fee Research on Issues Related to Ethics

SUMMARY Audit fees are related to important ethical issues for auditors. There has been increasing research on audit fees recently, including research on potential ethical risks regarding audit fees, which helps to illuminate some of these professional issues. The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) is very interested in this area and asked me to prepare a paper reviewing the relevant research. This summary reviews research that became available from 2006 to 2016 on four issues related to audit fees—fee level, dependence, non-audit fees, and firms that have a significant non-audit services business. Examining the research shows consistent evidence about two issues, namely that audit fees for new engagements are lower and that non-audit services affect independence in appearance. There are two further issues about which there is some concern. First, there are occasional studies reporting evidence that non-audit services provided by an auditor are associated with a loss of independence indicated by lower audit quality, even though most research does not support this conclusion. Second, there has been recent concern about growth in non-audit services to non-audit clients and there is some preliminary evidence that audit quality is lower in firms that have more extensive non-audit businesses. In general, although audit fee research does not convey a message that there are widespread ethical problems, the body of research shows that there are some risk areas.

Cloud computing, capabilities and intercultural ethics: Implications for Africa

This paper evaluates the potential benefits, drawbacks and ethical risks of cloud computing for African countries in the context of information communication technologies for development (ICT4D). The paper argues that the capability approach, incorporating development ethics, provides a useful framework for considering the ethics of cloud computing in Africa. Coupled with global and intercultural ethics perspectives, both provide a rich human-centred view of the technology's benefits, drawbacks and ethical risks. Focussing on the transformational benefits and features of cloud computing for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the health sector, the paper highlights potential ethical risks that are cause for concern. The paper concludes that while cloud computing has considerable potential for advancing development through the enhancement of capabilities, there remain huge challenges in its efficient, effective and ethical use. As a result, ethical risks related to equity, ownership, dependency, privacy, trust and security that reflect ‘unfreedoms’ and ‘capability deprivations’ may consequently have an impact on the technology's potential as an information communication technology for development.

Model-Based Policymaking: A Framework to Promote Ethical "Good Practice" in Mathematical Modeling for Public Health Policymaking.

Mathematical models are increasingly relied upon as decision support tools, which estimate risks and generate recommendations to underpin public health policies. However, there are no formal agreements about what constitutes professional competencies or duties in mathematical modeling for public health. In this article, we propose a framework to evaluate whether mathematical models that assess human and animal disease risks and control strategies meet standards consistent with ethical “good practice” and are thus “fit for purpose” as evidence in support of policy. This framework is derived from principles of biomedical ethics: independence, transparency (autonomy), beneficence/non-maleficence, and justice. We identify ethical risks associated with model development and implementation and consider the extent to which scientists are accountable for the translation and communication of model results to policymakers so that the strengths and weaknesses of the scientific evidence base and any socioeconomic and ethical impacts of biased or uncertain predictions are clearly understood. We propose principles to operationalize a framework for ethically sound model development and risk communication between scientists and policymakers. These include the creation of science–policy partnerships to mutually define policy questions and communicate results; development of harmonized international standards for model development; and data stewardship and improvement of the traceability and transparency of models via a searchable archive of policy-relevant models. Finally, we suggest that bespoke ethical advisory groups, with relevant expertise and access to these resources, would be beneficial as a bridge between science and policy, advising modelers of potential ethical risks and providing overview of the translation of modeling advice into policy.

Ethical challenges at the science-policy interface: an ethical risk assessment and proposition of an ethical infrastructure

Developing an interface between knowledge holders, stakeholders and decision makers on biodiversity issues, just as any science-policy interface, will face many challenges. In the crucial endeavour to tackle all those challenges, determining an ethical course of actions will be essential to the prestige and credibility of such an interface. The paper identifies and assesses potential ethical risks that may arise in interactions between science, society and policy and uses the Network of Knowledge (NoK) process as an example to show how an ethical infrastructure could be developed for minimizing the ethical risks and their potential consequences. Indeed, when various actors from different spheres (politics, academia, lobbyism, media, etc.) are called upon to interact within one process as complex as the NoK, the integrity and credibility of the latter are at high risk of being compromised if the ethical risks are not adequately addressed. In order to limit those risks, which science-policy interfaces such as IPCC and IPBES have already encountered, we propose to set up an ethical governance infrastructure that will guide (and regulate) interactions among internal actors of the NoK (knowledge coordination body, secretariat, expert working groups, etc.) as well as with external actors (requesters, stakeholders, etc.). A thorough evaluation of the interaction between the actors for every step of the process is carried out and potential ethical risks are identified. Suggestions as to how the risks can be handled and prevented are presented and integrated as part of an ethical infrastructure. The main objective of the paper is to address how a science-policy interface and the scientific community as a whole would benefit from implementing ethical measures and instruments to help prevent sensitive issues and undesired consequences undermining credibility and legitimacy.

THE MEDIATING EFFECT OF ORGANIZATIONAL TRUST IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEADER MEMBER EXCHANGE AND ORGANIZATIONAL INNOVATIVENESS

Ethical organizational culture as a social phenomenon has drawn scholars and organizations’ attention after the global economic crisis in 2008 which, again, proved the importance of the ethical component of organizational culture as a phenomenon potentially accounting for organizational failures. A practical need for management of ethical virtues of organizational culture calls for robust measurement instruments which could help to diagnose potential ethical risks and improve ethical dimensions of organizational culture. The paper presents the results of confirmatory validation analysis of a measurement instrument for ethical organizational culture or the corporate ethical virtues model. The model encompasses 8 virtues, i.e. clarity, congruency of supervisors, congruency of management, transparency, feasibility, discussability, supportability, and sanctionability, measured by a 58-item scale initially. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.em.19.3.8357

Exploring Ethical Organizational Culture: Validation of Measurement Instrument in Lithuania

Ethical organizational culture as a social phenomenon has drawn scholars and organizations’ attention after the global economic crisis in 2008 which, once again, proved the importance of the ethical component of organizational culture as a phenomena potentially accounting for organizational failures. A practical need for management of ethics in organizational culture calls for robust measurement instruments which could help to diagnose potential ethical risks and improve ethical dimensions of organizational culture. The paper presents results of explorative validation analysis of a measurement instrument for ethical organizational culture or the corporate ethical virtues model that was originally developed by Kaptein (2008). The model encompasses 8 virtues, i.e. clarity, congruency of supervisors, congruency of management, transparency, feasibility, discussability, supportability and sanctionability, by 58 item scale. Drawing on the argument that self-reported and ethics-related measurements can be highly sensitive to a socio-cultural context, we assume that a measurement instrument tested in a Dutch company may be differently handled in Lithuania. The results of validation by accomplishing factor analysis in a sample of 757 respondents in Lithuanian public organization show that the overall fit of the model is quite high; although some additional conclusions potentially describing socio-cultural context can be formulated.

Sewage epidemiology and illicit drug research: The development of ethical research guidelines

AimsTo discuss the need to develop ethical guidelines for researchers using sewage epidemiology to monitor drug use in the general population and specific precincts, including prisons, schools and workplaces. MethodDescribe current applications of sewage epidemiology, identify potential ethical risks associated with this science, and identify key means by which these risks may be mitigated through proportionate ethical guidance that allows this science to be fully developed. ResultsA rapidly advancing field of research is sewage epidemiology (SE) — the analysis of wastewater samples to monitor illicit drug use and other substances. Typically this research involves low ethical risks because individual participants cannot be identified and, consequently, review has been waived by human research ethics committees. In the absence of such oversight, ethical research guidelines are recommended for SE teams, peer reviewers and journal editors; guidelines will assist them to mitigate any risks in general population studies and studies of prisons, schools and workplaces. Potential harms include the stigmatisation of participants and, in the prison setting, austere policy responses to SE data that impact negatively upon inmate-participants. The risk of harm can be managed through research planning, awareness of the socio-political context in which results will be interpreted (or, in the case of media, sensationalised) and careful relations with industry partners. Ethical guidelines should be developed in consultation with SE scholars and be periodically amended. They should include publication processes that safeguard scientific rigour and be promulgated through existing research governance structures. ConclusionsGuidelines will assist to promote an ethical research culture among SE teams and scholars involved in the publication process and this will work to protect the reputation of the field.