Sample records for transitional state ethical

  1. 5 CFR 2641.301 - Statutory exceptions and waivers.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ....301 Section 2641.301 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS GOVERNMENT ETHICS POST... employee is called as a witness by the United States. Example 1 to paragraph (a): An employee of the... behalf of the United States. Example 2 to paragraph (a): A Federal Transit Administration (FTA) employee...

  2. Latinos, the Academic Ethic, and the Transition to College

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pino, Nathan W.; Martinez-Ramos, Gloria P.; Smith, William L.

    2012-01-01

    Research on the academic ethic of Latino college students has not yet been conducted. In order to begin filling this gap in the literature, we surveyed Latino students at a state university to determine whether those who had an academic ethic in high school performed better in college. We also assessed the perceived helpfulness of a variety of…

  3. The Academic Ethic and the Transition to College

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, William L.; Zhang, Pidi

    2009-01-01

    This paper investigates one aspect of the transition of students from high school to college. It assesses whether students who had an academic ethic in high school performed better in their first semester of college than students who did not possess an academic ethic in high school. Survey data were collected from students at a medium-sized state…

  4. Lithuanian health care in transitional state: ethical problems

    PubMed Central

    Jakušovaitė, Irayda; Darulis, Žilvinas; Žekas, Romualdas

    2005-01-01

    Background Throughout the economic and political reforms in post-communist countries, significant changes have also occurred in public morality. One of the tasks of the Lithuanian health policy is to create mechanisms for strengthening the significance of ethical considerations in the decision-making processes concerning health care of individuals and groups of individuals, as well as considering the positions of physicians and the health care system itself in a general way. Thus, health care ethics could be analyzed at two levels: the micro level (the ethics of doctor-patient relationships) and the macro level (the ethics of health policy-making, which can be realized by applying the principles of equal access, reasonable quality, affordable care and shared responsibilities). To date, the first level remains dominant, but the need arises for our attention to refocus now from the micro level to the patterns of managing and delivering care, managing the health care resources, and conducting business practices. Discussion In attempting to increase the efficiency of health services in Lithuania, a common strategy has been in place for the last fifteen years. Decentralization and privatization have been implemented as part of its policy to achieve greater efficiency. Although decentralization in theory is supposed to improve efficiency, in practice the reform of decentralization has still to be completely implemented in Lithuania. Debates on health policy in Lithuania also include the issue of private versus public health care. Although the approach of private health care is changing in a positive way, it is obvious that reduced access to health services is the most vulnerable aspect. In the Lithuanian Health Program adopted in July 1998, the target of equity was stressed, stating that by 2010, differences in health and health care between various socio-economic groups should be reduced by 25%. Summary The restructuring of health care system in Lithuania should be based on a balance between decentralization and centralization, and between public and private health care sectors. Successful transition requires a balanced role of the government. Today it is obvious in Lithuania that continuous encouragement to make sacrifices was not enough to induce the system to function well, and in an ethical manner. PMID:16281969

  5. Lithuanian health care in transitional state: ethical problems.

    PubMed

    Jakusovaite, Irayda; Darulis, Zilvinas; Zekas, Romualdas

    2005-11-09

    Throughout the economic and political reforms in post-communist countries, significant changes have also occurred in public morality. One of the tasks of the Lithuanian health policy is to create mechanisms for strengthening the significance of ethical considerations in the decision-making processes concerning health care of individuals and groups of individuals, as well as considering the positions of physicians and the health care system itself in a general way. Thus, health care ethics could be analyzed at two levels: the micro level (the ethics of doctor-patient relationships) and the macro level (the ethics of health policy-making, which can be realized by applying the principles of equal access, reasonable quality, affordable care and shared responsibilities). To date, the first level remains dominant, but the need arises for our attention to refocus now from the micro level to the patterns of managing and delivering care, managing the health care resources, and conducting business practices. In attempting to increase the efficiency of health services in Lithuania, a common strategy has been in place for the last fifteen years. Decentralization and privatization have been implemented as part of its policy to achieve greater efficiency. Although decentralization in theory is supposed to improve efficiency, in practice the reform of decentralization has still to be completely implemented in Lithuania. Debates on health policy in Lithuania also include the issue of private versus public health care. Although the approach of private health care is changing in a positive way, it is obvious that reduced access to health services is the most vulnerable aspect. In the Lithuanian Health Program adopted in July 1998, the target of equity was stressed, stating that by 2010, differences in health and health care between various socio-economic groups should be reduced by 25%. The restructuring of health care system in Lithuania should be based on a balance between decentralization and centralization, and between public and private health care sectors. Successful transition requires a balanced role of the government. Today it is obvious in Lithuania that continuous encouragement to make sacrifices was not enough to induce the system to function well, and in an ethical manner.

  6. Ethics Issues Arising in the Transition to Learning Health Care Systems: Results from Interviews with Leaders from 25 Health Systems.

    PubMed

    Morain, Stephanie R; Kass, Nancy E

    2016-01-01

    There is increased interest in transitioning to a "learning health care system" (LHCS). While this transition brings the potential for significant benefits, it also presents several ethical considerations. Identifying the ethical issues faced by institutions in this transition is critical for realizing the goals of learning health care so that these issues can be anticipated and, where possible, resolved. 29 semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with leaders within 25 health care institutions. Respondents were recruiting using purposive sampling, targeting institutions considered as LHCS leaders. All interviews were audiorecorded and transcribed. NVIVO10 software was used to support qualitative analysis. Respondents described seven ethical challenges: (1) ethical oversight of learning activities; (2) transparency of learning activities to patients; (3) potential tensions between improving quality and reducing costs; (4) data sharing and data management; (5) lag time between discovery and implementation; (6) transparency to patients about quality; and (7) randomization for quality improvement initiatives. To move towards LHCS, several ethical considerations require further attention, including: the continued appropriateness of the research-treatment distinction; policy frameworks for privacy and data sharing; informing patients about learning activities; obligations to share data on quality; and the potential for trade-offs between quality improvement and cost control. To our knowledge, this is the first project to ask leaders from health care systems committed to ongoing learning about the ethical issues they have faced in this effort. Their experiences can provide guidance on relevant ethical issues, and what might be done to resolve them.

  7. From Theory to Practice: Facing Ethical Challenges as a Clinical Intern

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hambrick, James P.; Pimentel, Sandra; Albano, Anne Marie

    2009-01-01

    Although formal ethics classes provide a basic foundation in managing ethical dilemmas, professionals often point to their experiences on internship as an important training ground for consolidation of their ethical development. Clinical interns face many personal and professional transitions that can lead to a number of ethical dilemmas.…

  8. The NHS and market forces in healthcare: the need for organisational ethics.

    PubMed

    Frith, Lucy

    2013-01-01

    The NHS in England is an organisation undergoing substantial change. The passage of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, consolidates and builds on previous health policies and introduces further 'market-style' reforms of the NHS. One of the main aspects of these reforms is to encourage private and third sector providers to deliver NHS services. The rationale for this is to foster a more competitive market in healthcare to encourage greater efficiency and innovation. This changing healthcare environment in the English NHS sharpens the need for attention to be paid to the ethical operation of healthcare organisations. All healthcare organisations need to consider the ethical aspects of their operation, whether state or privately run. However, the changes in the type of organisations used to provide healthcare (such as commercial companies) can create new relationships and ethical tensions. This paper will chart the development of organisational ethics as a concern in applied ethics and how it arose in the USA largely owing to changes in the organisation of healthcare financing and provision. It will be argued that an analogous transition is happening in the NHS in England. The paper will conclude with suggestions for the development of organisational ethics programmes to address some of the possible ethical issues raised by this new healthcare environment that incorporates both private and public sector providers.

  9. Implications of the ethical-legal framework for adolescent HIV vaccine trials--report of a consultative forum.

    PubMed

    Slack, Catherine; Strode, Ann; Grant, Catherine; Milford, Cecilia

    2005-09-01

    The ethical-legal framework in South Africa is in a period of transition, with a number of new developments changing the substantive principles and procedures for health research in the country. Some of the changing dynamics include both law reform and the review of ethical guidelines. This changing environment poses many complexities for researchers, research ethics committees and participating communities involved in planning, implementing and reviewing research with child participants, including HIV vaccine trials. This paper presents the major themes and outcomes of a consultative meeting convened by the HIV AIDS Vaccines Ethics Group in July 2004 for key stakeholder groups. At this forum participants discussed the complexities posed by a transitional and sometimes contradictory ethical-legal framework and how the framework could be improved to simultaneously promote critical research and the welfare of child participants.

  10. Ethical dilemmas among nurses as they transition to hospital case management: implications for organizational ethics, part I.

    PubMed

    O'Donnell, Lolita T

    2007-01-01

    To describe the experiences of ethical concerns by clinical nurses as they transitioned into their new role in hospital case management. Through this study, an attempt was made to explore experiences of ethical concerns and identify the implications for organizational ethics. In this study, nurse case managers practicing in the acute hospital setting, military, not-for-profit community, and teaching hospitals were interviewed. The majority of the nurse case manager participants were engaged in hospital discharge planning and utilization review activities. An interpretive phenomenological approach was used to identify the themes inherent in ethical concerns and articulate them within the context of hospital nurse case management. Fifteen participants were interviewed to obtain a qualitative description of the nurse case managers' lived experiences of ethical dilemmas and how they were resolved. Nurse case managers' perceptions of solutions/options to resolve such ethical dilemmas were explored. As nurses transition into the expanded role of case management in the present healthcare delivery system, they frequently face situations demanding ethical choices and judgments to accommodate diverse patient interests and needs. These ethical decisions required in daily practice in case management represent ethical dilemmas to nurses. The insights derived from the analysis of the interviews have implications for nursing practice, education, policy, ethics, and research; recommendations for organizations employing nurse case managers in terms of recruitment, orientation, training, and continued need for educational support are identified. 1. The clinical decisions required in daily practice of case management represented challenges to the nurses. This highlights the critical role of adequate educational orientation to case management for beginning case managers. 2. Nurse case managers should be cognizant of the "disconnect" that could occur between their obligations to the organizations that employ them and the healthcare needs of the patients that they advocate for. 3. Aside from the importance of linking patient care outcomes with accountability, nurse case managers may need to advocate for policy change and system reform.

  11. Ethical dilemmas among nurses as they transition to hospital case management: implications for organizational ethics, part II.

    PubMed

    O'Donnell, Lolita T

    2007-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of ethical concerns by clinical nurses as they transitioned into their new role in hospital case management. Through this study, an attempt was made to explore experiences of ethical concerns and identify the implications for organizational ethics. In this study, nurse case managers practicing in the acute care setting, military, not-for-profit community, and teaching hospitals were interviewed. The majority of the nurse case manager participants were engaged in hospital discharge planning and utilization review activities. An interpretive phenomenological approach was used to identify the themes inherent in ethical concerns and articulate them within the context of hospital nurse case management. Fifteen participants were interviewed to obtain a qualitative description of the nurse case managers' lived experiences of ethical dilemmas and how they were resolved. Nurse case managers' perceptions of solutions/options to resolve such ethical dilemmas were explored. As nurses transition into the expanded role of case management in the present healthcare delivery system, they frequently face situations demanding ethical choices and judgments to accommodate diverse patient interests and needs. These ethical decisions required in daily practice of case management represent ethical dilemmas to nurses. The insights derived from the analysis of the interviews have implications for nursing practice, education, policy, ethics, and research; recommendations for organizations employing nurse case managers in terms of recruitment, orientation, training, and continued need for educational support are identified. 1. The clinical decisions required in daily practice of case management represented challenges to the nurses. This highlights the critical role of adequate educational orientation to case management for beginning case managers. 2. Nurse case managers should be cognizant of the "disconnect" that could occur between their obligations to the organizations that employ them and the healthcare needs of the patients that they advocate for. 3. Aside from the importance of linking patient care outcomes with accountability, nurse case managers may need to advocate for policy change and system reform.

  12. (Dis)-Trust in transitioning ventilator-dependent children from hospital to homecare.

    PubMed

    Manhas, Kiran Pohar; Mitchell, Ian

    2015-12-01

    Scholarly work is needed to develop the conceptual and theoretical understanding of trust to nursing practice. The transition from hospital care to complex pediatric homecare involves nurses in myriad roles, including management and care provision. Complex pediatric homecare transforms children, families, professionals, and communities, but its exact implications are unclear. To conduct an ethical inquiry into the role and responsibilities of nurses in the qualitative experience of adults involved in the hospital-to-home transition of young, ventilator-dependent children. We followed methods described by Franco Carnevale. We used a sociologically grounded theoretical orientation-trust-to re-interpret qualitative data for an ethical inquiry into a specific facet of that data. The participants included 26 adults, including 14 nurses, involved in the hospital-to-home transition in a Canadian province. Participants represented family, hospital, home, and government. The Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board at the University of Calgary approved this study. First, the concept and practice of trust was salient to the experience of transition. For example, responsibilities' allocation between hospital-based professionals to mothers, home-based nurses, and non-professionals necessitated reliance and vulnerability. Second, the consequences of distrust connected to recognized challenges. For example, tensions along rural-urban, medical-family, and professional-personal divide each revealed suspicion and uncertainty that led to isolation and anxiety for all involved. Third, recommendations to improve the experience and mitigate the challenges of transition can be grounded in trust promotion. For example, transition-specific education programs and codes of ethics would promote openness, recognize mutual vulnerability, and advance trust in transition. The challenges to transition evidenced distrust, while trust represents a powerful tool to counter these challenges and their implications. A climate of trust could bridge divides between mothers and professionals; rural and urban professionals; and professionals with differing relationships with the family. © The Author(s) 2014.

  13. Trends in nursing ethics research: Mapping the literature production.

    PubMed

    Blažun Vošner, Helena; Železnik, Danica; Kokol, Peter; Vošner, Janez; Završnik, Jernej

    2017-12-01

    There have been a number of debates in the field of nursing ethics. Researchers have focused on various aspects of nursing ethics, such as professional ethics, professional, nursing and ethical values. Within this research, a variety of literature reviews have been conducted, but to the best of our knowledge, bibliometric mapping has not yet been used. This article aims to analyse the production of literature within nursing ethics research. In order to examine publishing patterns, we focused on publishing dynamics, prolific research entities and the most-cited articles. We additionally visualised the content of the literature using a novel mixed-method approach, combining bibliometric analysis and mapping with thematic analysis. Ethical considerations: In our study, ethical review was not required. A total of 1416 information sources were found in the Scopus database. Overall, literature production has increased; however, in recent years, the quantity of published material has begun to decrease. The most prolific countries are the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, and the most prolific source titles are Nursing Ethics, Journal of Advanced Nursing and Nursing Times. Lately, research in the field of nursing ethics has been focused more on life care (providing for the basic needs of older residents), moral distress and community nursing. The dynamics of research literature production showed an exponential rise in the number of published information sources - a rise which started in the period between 1974 and 1998. Since that period, the trend has stabilised, which might indicate that nursing ethics research is starting a transition to a mature phase. The innovative use of bibliometric analysis and mapping, together with thematic analysis, is a useful tool for analysis of research production in the field of nursing ethics. The results presented can be an excellent starting point for literature reviews and more exhaustive data, information and knowledge seeking.

  14. The Ethical Imperative to Move to a Seven-Day Care Model.

    PubMed

    Bell, Anthony; McDonald, Fiona; Hobson, Tania

    2016-06-01

    Whilst the nature of human illness is not determined by time of day or day of week, we currently structure health service delivery around a five-day delivery model. At least one country is endeavouring to develop a systems-based approach to planning a transition from five- to seven-day healthcare delivery models, and some services are independently instituting program reorganization to achieve these ends as research, amongst other things, highlights increased mortality and morbidity for weekend and after-hours admissions to hospitals. In this article, we argue that this issue does not merely raise instrumental concerns but also opens up a normative ethical dimension, recognizing that clinical ethical dilemmas are impacted on and created by systems of care. Using health policy ethics, we critically examine whether our health services, as currently structured, are at odds with ethical obligations for patient care and broader collective goals associated with the provision of publicly funded health services. We conclude by arguing that a critical health policy ethics perspective applying relevant ethical values and principles needs to be included when considering whether and how to transition from five-day to seven-day models for health delivery.

  15. Health-illness transition among persons using advanced medical technology at home.

    PubMed

    Fex, Angelika; Flensner, Gullvi; Ek, Anna-Christina; Söderhamn, Olle

    2011-06-01

    This study aimed to elucidate meanings of health-illness transition experiences among adult persons using advanced medical technology at home. As an increasing number of persons perform self-care while using different sorts of advanced medical technology at home, knowledge about health-illness transition experiences in this situation may be useful to caregivers in supporting these patients. A qualitative design was used. Five women and five men, all of whom performed self-care at home, either using long-term oxygen therapy from a ventilator or oxygen cylinder, or performing peritoneal or haemodialysis, were interviewed. Ethics committee approval was obtained. Informed consent was received from all participants, and ethical issues concerning their rights in research were raised. The interviews were analysed using a phenomenological hermeneutical methodology, including both an inductive and a deductive structural analysis. This method offers possibilities to obtain an increased understanding by uncovering a deeper meaning of lived experiences through interviews transcribed as texts. The health-illness transition for adult persons in this context was found to mean a learning process of accepting, managing, adjusting and improving daily life with technology, facilitated by realizing the gain from technology at home. Further, the meaning of the health-illness transition experience was interpreted as contentment with being part of the active and conscious process towards transcending into a new state of living, in which the individual and the technology were in tune. The healthy transition experience was characterized by human growth and becoming. This study elucidates one meaning of health-illness transition experiences in relation to the use of advanced medical technology on a more generic level, independent of the specific type of technology used. A positive attitude towards technology at home facilitates the transition. © 2010 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences © 2010 Nordic College of Caring Science.

  16. Cell-based interventions for neurologic conditions: ethical challenges for early human trials.

    PubMed

    Mathews, D J H; Sugarman, J; Bok, H; Blass, D M; Coyle, J T; Duggan, P; Finkel, J; Greely, H T; Hillis, A; Hoke, A; Johnson, R; Johnston, M; Kahn, J; Kerr, D; Kurtzberg, J; Liao, S M; McDonald, J W; McKhann, G; Nelson, K B; Rao, M; Regenberg, A; Siegel, A W; Smith, K; Solter, D; Song, H; Vescovi, A; Young, W; Gearhart, J D; Faden, R

    2008-07-22

    Attempts to translate basic stem cell research into treatments for neurologic diseases and injury are well under way. With a clinical trial for one such treatment approved and in progress in the United States, and additional proposals under review, we must begin to address the ethical issues raised by such early forays into human clinical trials for cell-based interventions for neurologic conditions. An interdisciplinary working group composed of experts in neuroscience, cell biology, bioethics, law, and transplantation, along with leading disease researchers, was convened twice over 2 years to identify and deliberate on the scientific and ethical issues raised by the transition from preclinical to clinical research of cell-based interventions for neurologic conditions. While the relevant ethical issues are in many respects standard challenges of human subjects research, they are heightened in complexity by the novelty of the science, the focus on the CNS, and the political climate in which the science is proceeding. Distinctive challenges confronting US scientists, administrators, institutional review boards, stem cell research oversight committees, and others who will need to make decisions about work involving stem cells and their derivatives and evaluate the ethics of early human trials include evaluating the risks, safety, and benefits of these trials, determining and evaluating cell line provenance, and determining inclusion criteria, informed consent, and the ethics of conducting early human trials in the public spotlight. Further study and deliberation by stakeholders is required to move toward professional and institutional policies and practices governing this research.

  17. Teaching ethics in a Masters Program in Public Health in Lithuania

    PubMed Central

    Jakusovaite, Irayda; Bankauskaite, Vaida

    2007-01-01

    This article aims to present 10 years of experience of teaching ethics in a Masters Program in Public Health in Lithuania, and to discuss the content, skills, teaching approach and tools of this programme. In addition, the article analyses the links between ethics and law, identifies the challenges of the teaching process and suggests future teaching strategies. The important role of teaching ethics in countries that are in transition owing to a radically changing value system is emphasised. PMID:17601872

  18. [Henri Atlan's levels of ethics and the challenge of the "fourth level"].

    PubMed

    Aleksandrowicz, Ana Maria Coutinho

    2008-01-01

    This article presents the ideas on ethics by the contemporary French biophysicist and Spinozist philosopher Henri Atlan, based on his singular epistemological position, in constant transit between naturalistic philosophy (in alliance with cognitive sciences) and his refusal to a natural foundations of ethics. It underlines Atlan's defense of casuistry towards bioethics dilemmas and associates it to his proposal of different levels of ethics. The text introduces a reflection concerning Atlan's ideas about the possible passage between the third and the fourth levels of ethics, stressing its positive impact in individuals and social groups' life quality.

  19. [Fundamental ethical principles in the European framework programmes for research and development].

    PubMed

    Hirsch, François; Karatzas, Isidoros; Zilgalvis, Pēteris

    2009-01-01

    The European Commission is one of the most important international funding bodies for research conducted in Europe and beyond, including developing countries and countries in transition. Through its framework programmes for research and development, the European Union finances a vast array of projects concerning fields affecting the citizens' health, as well as the researchers' mobility, the development of new technologies or the safeguard of the environment. With the agreement of the European Parliament and of the Council of Ministers, the two decisional authorities of the European Union, the 7th framework programmes was started on December 2006. This program has a budget of 54 billion Euros to be distributed over a 7-year period. Therefore, the European Union aims to fully address the challenge as stated by the European Council of Lisbon (of March 2000) which declared the idea of providing 3% of the GDP of all the Member States for the purpose of research and development. One of the important conditions stated by the Members of the European Parliament to allocate this financing is to ensuring that "the funding research activities respect the fundamental ethical principles". In this article, we will approach this aspect of the evaluation.

  20. Organ donation and the ethics of muddling through.

    PubMed

    Hoeyer, Klaus; Jensen, Anja M B

    2011-01-24

    Organ donation offers opportunities for people in critical care units to help save the lives of other patients. It is not always easy, however, to handle the transition from treating a patient to preserving a potential donor, and organ donation consistently provokes ethical questions in critical care units. What do we expect ethics to deliver? In light of a recent ethics conference in Denmark, we suggest that by acknowledging that decisions made in the clinic rarely abide to rational decision trees with clear ethical priorities, we can better learn from each other's experiences. We suggest embracing an 'ethics of muddling through' to enhance relevant reflections and stimulate a productive dialogue among health professionals. © 2011 BioMed Central Ltd

  1. HIV/AIDS and bioethics: historical perspective, personal retrospective.

    PubMed

    Bryan, Charles S

    2002-01-01

    Problems posed by HIV/AIDS differ from those of past epidemics by virtue of unique properties of the causative agent, dramatic societal changes of the late 20th century, and the transition of medical practice from a professional ethic to a technology-dependent business ethic. HIV/AIDS struck during the coming-of-age of molecular biology and also of bioethics, and the epidemic stimulated the growth of both disciplines. The number of articles published about AIDS and ethics (as identified by a MEDLINE search) peaked in 1990, just before the peak incidence of AIDS in the United States. The character of ethical dialogue has now shifted from familiar moral quandaries such as civil liberty versus public welfare to concerns about vaccine trials and public policy toward the developing world. Physicians and other health care workers who were involved from the onset endured something of an emotional roller coaster. Their compassion-based work ethic was to a large extent replaced by a competence-based work ethic after the introduction in 1996 of highly active antiretroviral therapy. The abundant recent literature on "professionalism" in medicine makes scant mention of AIDS/HIV. The disruptive effect of AIDS/HIV on society would have been substantially greater had relevant technology such as the ability to isolate retroviruses and potent therapy against tuberculosis not been in place. This sobering consideration, along with such recent events as the use of bioterrorism against civilian populations, suggests new relevance for Potter's definition of "bioethics" as a science of survival in which the biology of ecosystems must be taken into account.

  2. Ethical reasoning through simulation: a phenomenological analysis of student experience.

    PubMed

    Lewis, Gareth; McCullough, Melissa; Maxwell, Alexander P; Gormley, Gerard J

    2016-01-01

    Medical students transitioning into professional practice feel underprepared to deal with the emotional complexities of real-life ethical situations. Simulation-based learning (SBL) may provide a safe environment for students to probe the boundaries of ethical encounters. Published studies of ethics simulation have not generated sufficiently deep accounts of student experience to inform pedagogy. The aim of this study was to understand students' lived experiences as they engaged with the emotional challenges of managing clinical ethical dilemmas within a SBL environment. This qualitative study was underpinned by an interpretivist epistemology. Eight senior medical students participated in an interprofessional ward-based SBL activity incorporating a series of ethically challenging encounters. Each student wore digital video glasses to capture point-of-view (PoV) film footage. Students were interviewed immediately after the simulation and the PoV footage played back to them. Interviews were transcribed verbatim. An interpretative phenomenological approach, using an established template analysis approach, was used to iteratively analyse the data. Four main themes emerged from the analysis: (1) 'Authentic on all levels?', (2)'Letting the emotions flow', (3) 'Ethical alarm bells' and (4) 'Voices of children and ghosts'. Students recognised many explicit ethical dilemmas during the SBL activity but had difficulty navigating more subtle ethical and professional boundaries. In emotionally complex situations, instances of moral compromise were observed (such as telling an untruth). Some participants felt unable to raise concerns or challenge unethical behaviour within the scenarios due to prior negative undergraduate experiences. This study provided deep insights into medical students' immersive and embodied experiences of ethical reasoning during an authentic SBL activity. By layering on the human dimensions of ethical decision-making, students can understand their personal responses to emotion, complexity and interprofessional working. This could assist them in framing and observing appropriate ethical and professional boundaries and help smooth the transition into clinical practice.

  3. Specific aspects of gastro-intestinal transit in children for drug delivery design.

    PubMed

    Bowles, Alexandra; Keane, Joanne; Ernest, Terry; Clapham, David; Tuleu, Catherine

    2010-08-16

    This mini-review discusses relevant aspects of gastro-intestinal transit in different ages of paediatric patients with an attempt to highlight factors which should be considered in oral dosage form design, in particular multi-particulate dosage forms. This emphasis is due to multi-particulates possessing many of the benefits of liquid oral formulations (such as ease of swallowing and dose adaptability) without many of their drawbacks (such as stability issues and lack of enteric or modified release functionalities). It is commonly stated that children are not merely small adults with regards to medicines. However, there has been very little research regarding how different dosage forms transit through the gastro-intestinal tract in children compared to adults, due to both ethical and practical hurdles. Due to this lack of studies on dosage form transit in children, information which was available on the transit of food, milk and liquids (often dependent upon the age of the patient) has been used to look at how various aspects of transit vary with age and, where possible, when they reach adult values and how these may affect the fate of dosage forms in vivo: swallowability, oesophageal transit, gastric emptying and pH, intestinal and colonic transit are discussed. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. How young is too young: ethical concerns in genital surgery of the transgender MTF adolescent.

    PubMed

    Milrod, Christine

    2014-02-01

    During the last decade, the age of youths presenting for gender confirmation has steadily fallen. Transgender adolescents are being treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues and subsequently cross-sex hormones at early or midpuberty, with genital surgery as the presumed final step in treatment for female-affirmed (male-to-female) individuals. Despite the minimum age of 18 as eligibility to undergo irreversible procedures, anecdotal reports show that vaginoplasties of female-affirmed patients under 18 have been performed by surgeons, thereby contravening the World Professional Association for Transgender Health Standards of Care. The purpose of this article is (i) to provide a review of salient factors regarding genital surgery in transgender adolescents; (ii) to review various ethical protocols for determining maturity in gender dysphoric individuals under 18; and (iii) to present a new systematic set of ethical principles largely derived from the surgical management of youths with disorders of sex development and adapted to the needs of transitioning adolescents. A literature review of the topic was performed. Ethical guidelines derived from applied treatment protocols of children with disorders of sex development were written. Progressing from the current state of ethical standards and clinical assumptions, a new development of ethical guidelines for genital surgery in the female-affirmed transgender adolescent was created. There were no controlled studies of vaginoplasties performed on female-affirmed adolescents under 18 years of age. A new set of ethical guidelines was created in order to support treatment professionals in their decision making process. Professionals across disciplines treating female-affirmed adolescents can utilize the proposed ethical guidelines to facilitate decision making on a case-by-case basis in order to protect both patients and practitioners. These guidelines may also be used in support of more open discussions and disclosures of surgical results that could further the advancement of treatment in this emerging population. © 2013 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

  5. Medical ethics: enhanced or undermined by modes of payment?

    PubMed

    Zweifel, Peter; Janus, Katharina

    2017-01-01

    In the medical literature [1, 2, 7], the view prevails that any change away from fee-for-service (FFS) jeopardizes medical ethics, defined as motivational preference in this article. The objective of this contribution is to test this hypothesis by first developing two theoretical models of behavior, building on the pioneering works of Ellis and McGuire [4] and Pauly and Redisch [11]. Medical ethics is reflected by a parameter α, which indicates how much importance the physician attributes to patient well-being relative to his or her own income. Accordingly, a weakening of ethical orientation amounts to a fall in the value of α. While traditional economic theory takes preferences as predetermined, more recent contributions view them as endogenous (see, e.g., Frey and Oberholzer-Gee [5]). The model variant based on Ellis and McGuire [4] depicts the behavior of a physician in private practice, while the one based on Pauly and Redisch [11] applies to providers who share resources such as in hospital or group practice. Two changes in the mode of payment are analyzed, one from FFS to prospective payment (PP), the other to pay-for-performance (P4P). One set of predictions relates physician effort to a change in the mode of payment; another, physician effort to a change in α, the parameter reflecting ethics. Using these two relationships, a change in ethics can observationally be related to a change in the mode of payment. The predictions derived from the models are pitted against several case studies from diverse countries. A shift from FFS to PP is predicted to give rise to a negative observed relationship between the medical ethics of physicians in private practice under a wide variety of circumstances, more so than a shift to P4P, which can even be seen as enhancing medical ethics, provided physician effort has a sufficiently high marginal effectiveness in terms of patient well-being. This prediction is confirmed to a considerable degree by circumstantial evidence coming from the case studies. As to physicians working in hospital or group practice, the prediction is again that a transition in hospital payment from FFS to PP weakens their ethical orientation. However, this prediction could not be tested because the one hospital study found relates to a transition to P4P, suggesting that this mode of payment may actually enhance medical ethics of healthcare providers working in a hospital or group practice. The claim that moving away from FFS undermines medical ethics is far too sweeping. It can only in part be justified by observed relationships, which even may suggest that a transition to P4P strengthens medical ethics.

  6. Ethics education in family medicine training in the United States: a national survey.

    PubMed

    Manson, Helen M; Satin, David; Nelson, Valerie; Vadiveloo, Thenmalar

    2014-01-01

    Although professional organizations endorse ethics education in family medicine training, there is little published evidence that ethics teaching occurs. This survey collated data on the aims, content, pedagogical methods, assessment, and barriers relating to formal ethics education in family medicine residency programs in the United States. A questionnaire surveyed all 445 family medicine residency programs in the United States. Forty percent of programs responded (178/445). Of these, 95% formally teach at least one ethics topic, 68.2% teach six or more topics, and 7.1% teach all 13 core topics specified in the questionnaire. Programs show variation, providing between zero to 100 hours' ethics education over the 3 years of residency training. Of the responding programs, 3.5% specify well-defined aims for ethics teaching, 25.9% designate overall responsibility for the ethics curriculum to one individual, and 33.5% formally assess ethics competencies. The most frequent barriers to ethics education are finding time in residents' schedules (59.4%) and educator expertise (21.8%). Considerable variation in ethics education is apparent in both curricular content and delivery among family medicine residency programs in the United States. Additional findings included a lack of specification of explicit curricular aims for ethics teaching allied to ACGME or AAFP competencies, a tendency not to designate one faculty member with lead responsibility for ethics teaching in the residency program, and a lack of formal assessment of ethics competencies. This has occurred in the context of an absence of robust assessment of ethics competencies at board certification level.

  7. The Importance of Ethical Training for the Improvement of Ethical Decision-Making: Evidence from Germany and the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rottig, Daniel; Heischmidt, Kenneth A.

    2007-01-01

    Based on three independent samples from Germany and the United States, this exploratory, cross-cultural study examines empirically the importance of ethical training for the improvement of ethical decision-making. The results of the study reveal a significant difference in the use of corporate codes of conduct and ethical training, as well as…

  8. [Ethical issues in nursing leadership].

    PubMed

    Wang, Shu-Fang; Hung, Chich-Hsiu

    2005-10-01

    Social transition causes shifts and changes in the relationship between health professionals and their patients. In their professional capacity, it is important today for nurses to handle ethical dilemmas properly, in a manner that fosters an ethical environment. This article investigates the ethical concerns and decision processes of nurses from a knowledge construction perspective, and examines such issues as patient needs, staff perceptions, organizational benefits, and professional image. The decision making methods commonly used when facing ethical dilemma explored in this study include the traditional problem solving, nursing process, MORAL model, and Murphy's methods. Although decision making for ethical dilemmas is governed by no universal rule, nurses are responsible to try to foster a trusting relationship between employee and employer, health care providers and patients, and the organization and colleagues. When decision making on ethical dilemmas is properly executed quality care will be delivered and malpractice can be reduced.

  9. (ETHNO-)MEDICAL ETHICS IN GLOBALIZING CHINA: TRACING LOCAL KNOWLEDGE AND ADAPTATION OF BIOMEDICINE.

    PubMed

    Micollier, Evelyne

    2015-12-01

    Encounters between several bodies of therapeutic knowledge have led to a restructuring of the entire health system, including a transformation in medical ethics. Defining "new ethics" with both Chinese and international characteristics, is part of the ongoing knowledge production process: plural health ideas, practices and medical sciences develop within the broader framework of social and economic transition. Such transition simultaneously reveals and encourages China's influence and position in an era of globalization including in the technical and knowledge production domains. Re-alignments in medical ethics in Reform China (post-1979) highlight a rather under-explored aspect of medical plurality enabling these ethics to be used as an analytical lens to provide information about social and political issues. In this article, two sets of ethical principles, one from Late Imperial China (Late Ming Era), the other from post-Mao China (1980s), are detailed and analysed. They were selected as case-studies mainly because they reflected at the time of their emergence an on-going radical change in society in the realm of health and medicine. Therefore both sets unveil the process of legitimizing a "Chinese medicine" in a context of epistemological shift: such a process takes various conceptual and practicalforms framed along the lines of the current dominant ideological system and constrained by socio-economic and political factors. Finally, issues relative to research ethics, bioethics and the New Health Reform guidelines raised in the 2000s, which represents also a significant historical turn for China, are discussed. Drawn from the overall discussion throughout the text, several concluding remarks contribute to advocate for "win-win" encounters--from the East to the West and from the South to the South, and for more implementable transnational/global ethics designing.

  10. Ethics Education in Midwifery Education Programs in the United States.

    PubMed

    Megregian, Michele

    2016-09-01

    Familiarity with ethical concepts is a required competency for new graduates and a component of accreditation for midwifery education programs in the United States. While midwifery educators have acknowledged the importance of ethics education in midwifery programs, little is known about current methods, format, or evaluation of ethics education. A Web-based survey was developed for program directors of accredited midwifery education programs in the United States. Clock hours, formats, venues, content topics, barriers, and evaluation methods were evaluated by descriptive analysis. Fifty-one percent of programs completed the online survey (25/49). Of these, only 7 (28%) offer ethics as a stand-alone class, although all responding programs integrate some ethics education into other core classes. Programs show variation in format, venue, resources, and clock hours dedicated to ethics education. The most frequent barrier to ethics education is an already crowded curriculum (60%), although 32% of programs denied any barriers at all. The majority of programs include the ethical concepts of informed consent, shared decision making, and effective communication in curriculum content. This survey found that there is considerable variation in ethics education in terms of content, format, and evaluation among accredited midwifery education programs in the United States. Midwifery educators have an opportunity to explore the ethical dilemmas unique to maternity care from a midwifery perspective. There is also the opportunity to create a comprehensive and dynamic midwifery ethics curriculum, which incorporates both stand-alone ethics courses and ethics concepts that are woven throughout the core midwifery curriculum. © 2016 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

  11. Partners at Care Transitions (PACT)—exploring older peoples’ experiences of transitioning from hospital to home in the UK: protocol for an observation and interview study of older people and their families to understand patient experience and involvement in care at transitions

    PubMed Central

    Birks, Yvonne; Murray, Jenni; Sheard, Laura; Hughes, Lesley; Heyhoe, Jane; Cracknell, Alison; Lawton, Rebecca

    2017-01-01

    Introduction Length of hospital inpatient stays have reduced. This benefits patients, who prefer to be at home, and hospitals, which can treat more people when stays are shorter. Patients may, however, leave hospital sicker, with ongoing care needs. The transition period from hospital to home can be risky, particularly for older patients with complex health and social needs. Improving patient experience, especially through greater patient involvement, may improve outcomes for patients and is a key indicator of care quality and safety. In this research, we aim to: capture the experiences of older patients and their families during the transition from hospital to home, and identify opportunities for greater patient involvement in care, particularly where this contributes to greater individual-level and organisational-level resilience. Methods and analysis A ‘focused ethnography’ comprising observations, ‘Go-Along’ and semistructured interviews will be used to capture patient and carer experiences during different points in the care transition from admission to 90 days after discharge. We will recruit 30 patients and their carers from six hospital departments across two National Health Service (NHS) Trusts. Analysis of observations and interviews will use a framework approach to identify themes to understand the experience of transitions and generate ideas about how patients could be more actively involved in their care. This will include exploring what ‘good’ care at transitions looks like and seeking out examples of success, as well as recommendations for improvement. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval was received from the NHS Research Ethics Committee in Wales. The research findings will add to a growing body of knowledge about patient experience of transitions, in particular providing insight into the experiences of patients and carers throughout the transitions process, in ‘real time’. Importantly, the data will be used to inform the development of a patient-centred intervention to improve the quality and safety of transitions. PMID:29196483

  12. Public health ethics related training for public health workforce: an emerging need in the United States.

    PubMed

    Kanekar, A; Bitto, A

    2012-01-01

    Ethics is a discipline, which primarily deals with what is moral and immoral behavior. Public Health Ethics is translation of ethical theories and concepts into practice to address complex multidimensional public health problems. The primary purpose of this paper was to conduct a narrative literature review-addressing role of ethics in developing curriculum in programs and schools of public health, ethics-related instruction in schools and programs of public health and the role of ethics in developing a competent public health workforce. An open search of various health databases including Google scholar and Ebscohost yielded 15 articles related to use of ethics in public health practice or public health training and the salient features were reported. Results indicated a variable amount of ethics' related training in schools and programs of public health along with public health practitioner training across the nation. Bioethics, medical ethics and public health ethics were found to be subspecialties' needing separate ethical frameworks to guide decision making. Ethics based curricular and non-curricular training for emerging public health professionals from schools and programs of public health in the United States is extremely essential. In the current age of public health challenges faced in the United States and globally, to have an ethically untrained public health force is arguably, immoral and unethical and jeopardizes population health. There is an urgent need to develop innovative ethic based curriculums in academia as well as finding effective means to translate these curricular competencies into public health practice.

  13. A Qualitative Exploration of a Clinical Ethicist's Role and Contributions During Family Meetings.

    PubMed

    Bruce, Courtenay R; Bibler, Trevor M; Pena, Adam M; Kusin, Betsy

    2016-12-01

    Despite the interpersonal nature of family meetings and the frequency in which they occur, the clinical ethics literature is devoid of any rich descriptions of what clinical ethicists should actually be doing during family meetings. Here, we propose a framework for describing and understanding "transitioning" facilitation skills based on a retrospective review of our internal documentation of 100 consecutive cases (June 01, 2013-December 31, 2014) wherein a clinical ethicist facilitated at least one family meeting. The internal documents were analyzed using qualitative methodologies, i.e., "codes", to identify emergent themes. We identified four different transitioning strategies clinical ethicists use to reach a meaningful resolution. These transitioning strategies serve as a jumping-off point for additional analyses, future research, evaluating clinical ethics consultation, and overall performance improvement of a consultation service.

  14. The gap between law and ethics in human embryonic stem cell research: overcoming the effect of U.S. federal policy on research advances and public benefit.

    PubMed

    Taylor, Patrick L

    2005-10-01

    Key ethical issues arise in association with the conduct of stem cell research by research institutions in the United States. These ethical issues, summarized in detail, receive no adequate translation into federal laws or regulations, also described in this article. U.S. Federal policy takes a passive approach to these ethical issues, translating them simply into limitations on taxpayer funding, and foregoes scientific and ethical leadership while protecting intellectual property interests through a laissez faire approach to stem cell patents and licenses. Those patents and licenses, far from being scientifically and ethically neutral in effect, virtually prohibit commercially sponsored research that could otherwise be a realistic alternative to the federal funding gap. The lack of federal funding and related data-sharing principles, combined with the effect of U.S. patent policy, the lack of key agency guidance, and the proliferation of divergent state laws arising from the lack of Federal leadership, significantly impede ethical stem cell research in the United States, without coherently supporting any consensus ethical vision. Research institutions must themselves implement steps, described in the article, to integrate addressing ethical review with the many legal compliance issues U.S. federal and state laws create.

  15. 49 CFR 1103.11 - Standards of ethical conduct in courts of the United States to be observed.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 8 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Standards of ethical conduct in courts of the... PRACTITIONERS Canons of Ethics The Practitioner's Duties and Responsibilities Toward the Board § 1103.11 Standards of ethical conduct in courts of the United States to be observed. These canons further the purpose...

  16. 49 CFR 1103.11 - Standards of ethical conduct in courts of the United States to be observed.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 8 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Standards of ethical conduct in courts of the... PRACTITIONERS Canons of Ethics The Practitioner's Duties and Responsibilities Toward the Board § 1103.11 Standards of ethical conduct in courts of the United States to be observed. These canons further the purpose...

  17. 49 CFR 1103.11 - Standards of ethical conduct in courts of the United States to be observed.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 8 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Standards of ethical conduct in courts of the... PRACTITIONERS Canons of Ethics The Practitioner's Duties and Responsibilities Toward the Board § 1103.11 Standards of ethical conduct in courts of the United States to be observed. These canons further the purpose...

  18. 49 CFR 1103.11 - Standards of ethical conduct in courts of the United States to be observed.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 8 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Standards of ethical conduct in courts of the... PRACTITIONERS Canons of Ethics The Practitioner's Duties and Responsibilities Toward the Board § 1103.11 Standards of ethical conduct in courts of the United States to be observed. These canons further the purpose...

  19. 49 CFR 1103.11 - Standards of ethical conduct in courts of the United States to be observed.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 8 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Standards of ethical conduct in courts of the... PRACTITIONERS Canons of Ethics The Practitioner's Duties and Responsibilities Toward the Board § 1103.11 Standards of ethical conduct in courts of the United States to be observed. These canons further the purpose...

  20. An Examination of Accounting Majors' Ethical Decisions before and after an Ethics Course Requirement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rogers, Violet; Smith, Aileen

    2008-01-01

    The increased focus on ethical decision making in the accounting profession has resulted in greater attention being paid to the education of future accountants. Texas is one of the states that requires a State Board approved university course in Accounting Ethics to be on the transcript of prospective CPA candidates. This study reports on research…

  1. An Alternative Analysis of the Discourse by Descartes, Kant and Hegel in terms of the Ethical Structure of the Kanun.

    PubMed

    Yamamoto, Kazuhiko

    2015-06-01

    The ethical structure of the Albanian customary code, the Kanun, is deemed to represent the ethical value system of a society without state power. In spite of the appearance of civilizations and the resultant advent of an incipient state power, humans seemed to have known only the ethical value system of a society without state power until Gotama, Socrates, Plato and Jesus proposed new religious and philosophical doctrines. The basic trait of these religious and philosophical doctrines, which try to antagonize the ethical value system of a society without state power by eliminating the emotional aspect of humanity from the ethical value system, has been inherited by western philosophers such as Descartes, Kant and Hegel. The discourses by Descartes, Kant and Hegel were reviewed while paying attention to how they dealt with the sensuous and emotional aspects of humanity. The metaphysical implications of the ethical structure of the Kanun surfaced through the critical reviewing of their philosophy, and a hypothesis concerning its origin was presented.

  2. Justifiability and Animal Research in Health: Can Democratisation Help Resolve Difficulties?

    PubMed

    Khoo, Shaun Yon-Seng

    2018-02-14

    Current animal research ethics frameworks emphasise consequentialist ethics through cost-benefit or harm-benefit analysis. However, these ethical frameworks along with institutional animal ethics approval processes cannot satisfactorily decide when a given potential benefit is outweighed by costs to animals. The consequentialist calculus should, theoretically, provide for situations where research into a disease or disorder is no longer ethical, but this is difficult to determine objectively. Public support for animal research is also falling as demand for healthcare is rising. Democratisation of animal research could help resolve these tensions through facilitating ethical health consumerism or giving the public greater input into deciding the diseases and disorders where animal research is justified. Labelling drugs to disclose animal use and providing a plain-language summary of the role of animals may help promote public understanding and would respect the ethical beliefs of objectors to animal research. National animal ethics committees could weigh the competing ethical, scientific, and public interests to provide a transparent mandate for animal research to occur when it is justifiable and acceptable. Democratic processes can impose ethical limits and provide mandates for acceptable research while facilitating a regulatory and scientific transition towards medical advances that require fewer animals.

  3. John Woolman and Ethical Progress in Kitcher's Pragmatic Naturalism.

    PubMed

    Barresi, John

    2017-01-01

    The development of John Woolman’s views on slavery plays an important evidentiary role in Philip Kitcher’s recent book, The ethical project (Kitcher 2011). In this work Kitcher takes what he calls a “pragmatic naturalist” approach to ethics and claims that the discovery of ethical truth plays no role in the emergence of ethical progress. To support his view, he argues that Woolman’s contribution was not due to his discovery of an ethical truth about slavery, not previously known, but due to his sensitivity to slavery and his influence on others, which contributed to collective progressive change in moral norms involving slavery. While not disputing Kitcher’s ethical theory, I argue that personal discoveries of a moral psychological nature made by Woolman served both as insights and motivations for his contribution. Thus, even if there are no such things as independent ethical truths that can be discovered by individuals, a fully naturalistic approach to ethical progress requires that we make room not only for group-level progressive evolution of norms, but also for individual discoveries of a moral psychological nature that can sometimes cause an individual to play a significant initiating role in progressive ethical transitions that occur at a group level.

  4. REU in Physics at Kansas State University--- an Evolving Program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Corwin, Kristan; Glymour, Bruce; Lara, Amy; Weaver, Larry; Zollman, Dean

    2009-03-01

    The REU site in the Physics Department at Kansas State University, funded by NSF for 13 years between 1992 and 2007, originally focused on atomic collision physics. Now the theme has broadened to include laser-matter interactions on atomic and nanoscales, and an ethics component is incorporated. Students study how atoms and molecules interact with ultra-fast optical and x-ray pulses, reveal the structure of nanoparticle crystallization and gel formation with scattered laser light, and develop computer codes for atomic interactions in Bose-Einstein condensates and nanoparticle self-assembly from lattices to gels; some have traveled to Japan for neutrino experiments. The students we select come primarily from smaller colleges and universities in the Midwest where research opportunities are limited. Prof. Weaver, who has served as PI since 1992, facilitates their transition from a teaching to research environment through lectures and individual interactions. Our program is in a period of transition. While Prof. Weaver continues to be the ``impedance match'' between students and mentors, other leadership roles are gradually being assumed by a team of faculty members who strive to preserve the intimacy and excellence of the program.

  5. Ethical Framework for a Sustainable World: Earth Charter Plus 10 Conference and Follow up

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clugston, Rick

    2011-01-01

    This article reports on an international conference "An Ethical Framework for a Sustainable World," that was held in Ahmedabad, India. The conference served as the culmination of events marking the 10-year anniversary of the completion of the Earth Charter document and the launch of a social movement to transition to a more sustainable…

  6. Attitudes toward Business Ethics and Degree of Opinion Leadership of Future Managers In the United States, Finland, and China

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Comegys, Charles; Vaisanen, Jaani; Lupton, Robert A.; Rawlinson, David R.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare the attitudes towards business ethics of future managers in three countries: the United State, Finland, and China, and determine whether business ethics attitudes differed by the student's major, class year, GPA, gender, age, and the number of ethics and religious studies courses completed. Additionally the…

  7. Employee, State of Alaska

    Science.gov Websites

    Center New Employee Orientation New Employee Forms Ethics Prospective Employee State Job Openings State Statutes BASIS Ethics Forms Personnel Forms AlaskaCare Insurance Forms Procurement Information Retirement

  8. Engineering Ethics Education : Its Necessity, Objectives, Methods, Current State, and Challenges

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fudano, Jun

    The importance of engineering ethics education has become widely recognized in the industrialized countries including Japan. This paper examines the background against which engineering ethics education is required, and reviews its objectives, methods, and challenges, as well as its current state. In pointing out important issues associated with the apparent acceptance and quantitative development of ethics education, especially after the establishment of the Japan Accreditation Board for Engineering Education in 1999, the author stresses that the most serious problem is the lack of common understanding on the objectives of engineering ethics education. As a strategy to improve the situation, the so-called “Ethics-across-the-Curriculum” approach is introduced. The author also claims that business/organization ethics which is consistent with engineering ethics should be promoted in Japan.

  9. Ethical Considerations for People Who Are Homeless and Mentally Ill

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Waggoner, Elizabeth A.; Howard, Richard; Markos, Patricia A.

    2004-01-01

    This article presents an ethical analysis of the important issues surrounding the involuntary institutionalization of people who are homeless and mentally ill (HMI) in the United States. The legal, economic, and moral implications of state-sponsored involuntary institutionalization of people who are HMI are considered. An ethical decision-making…

  10. Ethical Implications of Case-Based Payment in China: A Systematic Analysis.

    PubMed

    Jin, Pingyue; Biller-Andorno, Nikola; Wild, Verina

    2015-12-01

    How health care providers are paid affects how medicine is practiced. It is thus important to assess provider payment models not only from the economic perspective but also from the ethical perspective. China recently started to reform the provider payment model in the health care system from fee-for-service to case-based payment. This paper aims to examine this transition from an ethical perspective. We collected empirical studies on the impact of case-based payment in the Chinese health care system and applied a systematic ethical matrix that integrates clinical ethics and public health ethics to analyze the empirical findings. We identified eleven prominent ethical issues related to case-based payment. Some ethical problems of case-based payment in China are comparable to ethical problems of managed care and diagnosis related groups in high-income countries. However, in this paper we discuss in greater detail four specific ethical issues in the Chinese context: professionalism, the patient-physician relationship, access to care and patient autonomy. Based on the analysis, we cautiously infer that case-based payment is currently more ethically acceptable than fee-for-service in the context of China, mainly because it seems to lower financial barriers to access care. Nonetheless, it will be difficult to justify the implementation of case-based payment if no additional measures are taken to monitor and minimize its existing negative ethical implications. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. Ethics: The Role of Adult and Vocational Education. Trends and Issues Alert No. 24.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wonacott, Michael E.

    Ethics and social responsibility are the subject of both curriculum materials and research in adult and vocational education. State academic standards and curriculum frameworks address citizenship and personal and social responsibility. Ethical and legal issues for specific occupations are addressed in curricula issued by states, professional…

  12. [Population, ethics and equity].

    PubMed

    Berlinguer, G

    1997-01-01

    "Demography is, explicitly and not, imbued with an [ethical] content.... As demography involves both public policies and individual choices, the [ethical] slant should be [examined]. Thus, what we have on the one hand is an [ethical] state, which dictates its citizens' personal behaviour and, on the other, a state based on liberty, backed up by three shared values: human rights, pluralism and equality. This article looks at how today these may be reinterpreted when making decisions regarding the population." (EXCERPT)

  13. Medical marijuana for HIV-associated sensory neuropathy: legal and ethical issues.

    PubMed

    Larriviere, Daniel G

    2014-10-01

    The number of states legalizing medical marijuana is increasing. Medical marijuana is possibly effective therapy for HIV-associated sensory neuropathy. Despite legalization at the state level, however, the current and contradictory federal drug enforcement policy creates the risk that physicians who recommend medical marijuana to their patients will lose their ability to prescribe medications. The federal-state tension has legal and ethical implications for neurologists who receive a request for medical marijuana from their patients since neurologists must strive to both relieve suffering and obey relevant laws. Recommendation of medical marijuana by neurologists to their patients is ethically permissible but is not ethically mandatory.

  14. Communication Ethics in the Communication Curriculum: United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Swenson-Lepper, Tammy; Leavitt, Michelle A.; Hoffer, Melba; Charron, Lori N.; Ballard, Robert L.; Bell McManus, Leeanne M.; Holba, Annette M.; Jovanovic, Spoma; Tompkins, Paula S.

    2015-01-01

    This study investigated the status of communication ethics pedagogy at colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Data were collected from 193 institutions that responded to an online survey. Results showed an increase in communication ethics courses compared with 19 years ago, with 51% now offering a required or…

  15. The Teaching of Ethics. Vol. 1-9.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    1980

    The state of ethics teaching at the undergraduate and professional school levels is examined in these comprehensive monographs sponsored by the Institute of Society, Ethics and the Life Sciences/The Hastings Center. "The Teaching of Ethics in Higher Education (I)" encompasses: (1) the number and extent of courses in ethics, (2) the status and…

  16. The Marketing Ethics Course: Current State and Future Directions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ferrell, O. C.; Keig, Dawn L.

    2013-01-01

    Many of the critical issues facing modern businesses can be considered marketing ethics issues. It follows that as the field of business ethics has evolved, marketing has played a key role in the development of business ethics education. Despite a general trend of increasingly larger amounts of ethical content included in business curricula, prior…

  17. Fort Leavenworth Ethics Symposium: The Professional Ethic and the State

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-04-23

    47 Chapter 6 Ethical Paradox, Cultural Incongruence, and the Need for a Code of Ethics in the US Military by William J . Davis, Jr. PhD...of Military Ethics by Thomas J . Gibbons ....................................................................................................91...PJ McCormack MBE, BD, MTh, PhD (QUB), PhD (Cran), CF ......143 Chapter 14 Multiple Ethical Loyalties in Guantanamo CAPT J . Scott McPherson, USN and

  18. Ethical conflict in critical care nursing: Correlation between exposure and types.

    PubMed

    Falcó-Pegueroles, Anna; Lluch-Canut, Teresa; Roldan-Merino, Juan; Goberna-Tricas, Josefina; Guàrdia-Olmos, Joan

    2015-08-01

    Ethical conflicts in nursing have generally been studied in terms of temporal frequency and the degree of conflict. This study presents a new perspective for examining ethical conflict in terms of the degree of exposure to conflict and its typology. The aim was to examine the level of exposure to ethical conflict for professional nurses in critical care units and to analyze the relation between this level and the types of ethical conflict and moral states. This was a descriptive correlational study. Central and dispersion, normality tests, and analysis of variance were carried out. A total of 203 nurses were from two third-level teaching hospitals in Spain. Both centers are part of the University of Barcelona Health Network. Participants filled out the Ethical Conflict in Nursing Questionnaire-Critical Care Version. This investigation received the approval of the ethical committees for clinical investigation of the two participating hospitals. Participants were informed of the authorship and aims of the study. The index of exposure to ethical conflict was [Formula: see text]. The situations involving analgesic treatment and end-of-life care were shown to be frequent sources of conflict. The types of ethical conflict and moral states generally arranged themselves from lesser to greater levels of index of exposure to ethical conflict. The moderate level of exposure to ethical conflict was consistent with other international studies. However, the situations related with family are infrequent, and this presents differences with previous research. The results suggest that there is a logical relationship between types of conflict and levels of exposure to ethical conflict. The types of ethical conflict and moral states were related with the levels of exposure to ethical conflict. The new perspective was shown to be useful for analyzing the phenomenon of ethical conflict in the nurse. © The Author(s) 2014.

  19. The Exploration Ethic: Its Historical-Intellectual Basis. Outlook for Space (1980 - 2000)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Priscoli, J. D.; Marney, M.

    1975-01-01

    Principle components of the exploration ethic are discussed. Attempts were made to justify both the historical and intellectual aspects of the concept. It was noted that intellectual justification is strongly grounded on: (1) the complementarity of objective and normative inquiry as to method, and (2) interdisciplinary alliance of ethics of adaptive systems with contemporary decision sciences, as a theoretical basis. Historical exploration justification was associated with: (1) periods of civilization transition, (2) changes in the process of exploration which cause change in types of rationals used, sponsors involved, and explorers interest, and (3) the incorrectness of proven prior cost/benefit calculations.

  20. A Proposal for a Policy on the Ethical Care and Use of Cadavers and Their Tissues

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Champney, Thomas H.

    2011-01-01

    Recent events have occurred that indicate the need for policies on the ethical care and use of cadavers and their tissues in the United States. At present, there are policies that address the procurement, handling and disposition of cadavers, but there are no national or society sponsored policies that clearly state the ethically appropriate use…

  1. Hunter Ethics: A Look at Hunter Behavior and Hunter Education in the U.S. and Canada.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Elliott, Denis S.

    This study examines issues of unethical hunting practices and promotion of ethical hunter behavior in the United States and Canada. Hunter education coordinators (HECs) in all states and provinces were surveyed, with a response rate of 66 percent. Results indicate: (1) there has been little change in the types of hunter ethics problems in recent…

  2. Integrating Ethics across the Curriculum: A Pilot Study to Assess Students' Ethical Reasoning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Willey, Susan L.; Mansfield, Nancy Reeves; Sherman, Margaret B.

    2012-01-01

    At Georgia State University (GSU), undergraduate and graduate business students are introduced to ethical theory and decision making in the required legal environment of business course, but ethics instruction in the functional areas is sporadic and uncoordinated. After a broad overview of the history of ethics in the business curriculum in Part…

  3. Teaching Environmental Ethics: Moral Considerations and Legislative Action

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McGowan, Richard J.; Buttrick, Hilary G.

    2017-01-01

    As one of the first business ethics textbook states, by way of observation, "Custom, convention and the accepted courtesies of a society are not the foundation of ethics even though they provide valuable hints as to what men think… Law enshrines many of the ethical judgments of a society, but it is not coextensive with ethics" (Garrett,…

  4. 5 CFR 2635.101 - Basic obligation of public service.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ....101 Section 2635.101 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS GOVERNMENT ETHICS STANDARDS OF ETHICAL CONDUCT FOR EMPLOYEES OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH General Provisions § 2635.101 Basic... United States Government and its citizens to place loyalty to the Constitution, laws and ethical...

  5. 5 CFR 2635.101 - Basic obligation of public service.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ....101 Section 2635.101 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS GOVERNMENT ETHICS STANDARDS OF ETHICAL CONDUCT FOR EMPLOYEES OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH General Provisions § 2635.101 Basic... United States Government and its citizens to place loyalty to the Constitution, laws and ethical...

  6. 5 CFR 2635.101 - Basic obligation of public service.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ....101 Section 2635.101 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS GOVERNMENT ETHICS STANDARDS OF ETHICAL CONDUCT FOR EMPLOYEES OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH General Provisions § 2635.101 Basic... United States Government and its citizens to place loyalty to the Constitution, laws and ethical...

  7. 5 CFR 2635.101 - Basic obligation of public service.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ....101 Section 2635.101 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS GOVERNMENT ETHICS STANDARDS OF ETHICAL CONDUCT FOR EMPLOYEES OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH General Provisions § 2635.101 Basic... United States Government and its citizens to place loyalty to the Constitution, laws and ethical...

  8. 5 CFR 2635.101 - Basic obligation of public service.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ....101 Section 2635.101 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS GOVERNMENT ETHICS STANDARDS OF ETHICAL CONDUCT FOR EMPLOYEES OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH General Provisions § 2635.101 Basic... United States Government and its citizens to place loyalty to the Constitution, laws and ethical...

  9. School Psychologists and Ethical Challenges

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kapoulitsas, Maryanne; Corcoran, Tim

    2017-01-01

    This research explored how psychologists working in the Victorian secondary state school system construct meaning around ethical practice. The specific aims of the research were to examine psychologists understanding of ethics in practice within schools and to explore challenges they faced regarding professional ethics when working in the…

  10. Ethics and professionalism education during neonatal-perinatal fellowship training in the United States.

    PubMed

    Cummings, C L; Geis, G M; Kesselheim, J C; Sayeed, S

    2015-10-01

    The objectives of this study were to determine the perceived adequacy of ethics and professionalism education for neonatal-perinatal fellows in the United States, and to measure confidence of fellows and recent graduates when navigating ethical issues. Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship Directors, fellows and recent graduates were surveyed regarding the quality and type of such education during training, and perceived confidence of fellows/graduates in confronting ethical dilemmas. Forty-six of 97 Directors (47%) and 82 of 444 fellows/graduates (18%) completed the surveys. Over 97% of respondents agreed that ethics training is 'important/very important'. Only 63% of Directors and 37% of fellows/graduates rated ethics education as 'excellent/very good' (P=0.004). While 96% of Directors reported teaching of ethics, only 70% of fellows/graduates reported such teaching (P<0.001). Teaching methods and their perceived effectiveness varied widely. Training in ethics and professionalism for fellows is important, yet currently insufficient; a more standardized curriculum may be beneficial to ensure that trainees achieve competency.

  11. Are we ready for routine precision medicine? Highlights from the Milan Summit on Precision Medicine, Milan, Italy, 8-9 February 2018.

    PubMed

    Mazzarella, Luca

    2018-01-01

    On 8 and 9 February 2018, the IFOM-IEO campus in Milan hosted the Milan summit on Precision Medicine, which gathered clinical and translational research experts from academia, industry and regulatory bodies to discuss the state of the art of precision medicine in Europe. The meeting was pervaded by a generalised feeling of excitement for a field that is perceived to be technologically mature for the transition into clinical routine but still hampered by numerous obstacles of a methodological, ethical, regulatory and possibly cultural nature. Through lively discussions, the attendees tried to identify realistic ways to implement a technology-rich precision approach to cancer patients.

  12. Kinalizade's Views on the Moral Education of Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Uysal, Enver

    2007-01-01

    Kinalizade (1510-1572) is an important moralist who lived in the sixteenth century Ottoman society. He details his views on ethics in his book "Ahlak-i Ala'i," which consists of three parts. The first part contains the problems of individual ethics and ethics in general, the second deals with family ethics and the third is about state ethics and…

  13. The State of Ethical Learning of Students in the Spanish University System: Considerations for the European Higher Education Area

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Buxarrais, Maria Rosa; Esteban, Francisco; Mellen, Teodor

    2015-01-01

    With the establishment of the European higher education area (EHEA), the ethical learning of students is a matter of central importance in European universities. This paper examines the current state of ethical learning of students in the Spanish university system. We present the results of a descriptive survey, which used a training model for…

  14. Migration: a core public health ethics issue.

    PubMed

    Wild, V; Dawson, A

    2018-05-01

    In this article, we outline the link between migration, public health and ethics. Discussing relevant arguments about migration from the perspective of public health and public health ethics. Critical review of theories and frameworks, case-based analysis and systematic identification and discussion of challenges. Migration is a core issue of public health ethics and must take a case-based approach: seeking to identify the specific ethical dimensions and vulnerabilities in each particular context. Public health as a practice, built upon the core value of justice, requires the protection and promotion of migrants' well-being (even if this produces tension with immigration services). Ethical analysis should take all phases of migration into account: before, during and after transit. We argue that migration policies, at least as they relate to migrants' well-being, should be founded upon a shared humanity, respect for human rights and on the idea that effective public health cannot and should not be confined within the borders and to the citizens of any host country. We make the case for migration to be seen as a core issue of public health ethics. Copyright © 2018 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. 45 CFR 1634.10 - Transition provisions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... other appropriate legal service providers in a manner consistent with the rules of ethics or... purchased by the current recipient in whole or in part with Corporation funds consistent with the...

  16. 12 CFR 400.101 - Cross-reference to employee financial disclosure and ethical conduct standards regulations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... disclosure and ethical conduct standards regulations. 400.101 Section 400.101 Banks and Banking EXPORT-IMPORT BANK OF THE UNITED STATES EMPLOYEE FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE AND ETHICAL CONDUCT STANDARDS REGULATIONS § 400.101 Cross-reference to employee financial disclosure and ethical conduct standards regulations...

  17. 12 CFR 400.101 - Cross-reference to employee financial disclosure and ethical conduct standards regulations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... disclosure and ethical conduct standards regulations. 400.101 Section 400.101 Banks and Banking EXPORT-IMPORT BANK OF THE UNITED STATES EMPLOYEE FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE AND ETHICAL CONDUCT STANDARDS REGULATIONS § 400.101 Cross-reference to employee financial disclosure and ethical conduct standards regulations...

  18. Ethics in the Business Curriculum at the Community College.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hoiles, JoAnn

    Arguing for the inclusion of ethics instruction in community college business curricula, this paper addresses the crisis in ethical values affecting the United States today and offers suggestions regarding the content and methods of ethics instruction for business students. The first sections cite newspaper headlines and examples of dishonest…

  19. Factors That Impact the Ethical Behavior of College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Joseph, Jacob; Berry, Kevin

    2010-01-01

    This study examines factors impacting ethical behavior of 182 college students in the midwestern and northwestern United States. Ethical behavior of peers had the most significant impact on ethical behavior of students. Success (in terms of grade point average) of students, and gender of the respondents, also significantly impacted ethical…

  20. 12 CFR 400.101 - Cross-reference to employee financial disclosure and ethical conduct standards regulations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... disclosure and ethical conduct standards regulations. 400.101 Section 400.101 Banks and Banking EXPORT-IMPORT BANK OF THE UNITED STATES EMPLOYEE FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE AND ETHICAL CONDUCT STANDARDS REGULATIONS § 400.101 Cross-reference to employee financial disclosure and ethical conduct standards regulations...

  1. 12 CFR 400.101 - Cross-reference to employee financial disclosure and ethical conduct standards regulations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... disclosure and ethical conduct standards regulations. 400.101 Section 400.101 Banks and Banking EXPORT-IMPORT BANK OF THE UNITED STATES EMPLOYEE FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE AND ETHICAL CONDUCT STANDARDS REGULATIONS § 400.101 Cross-reference to employee financial disclosure and ethical conduct standards regulations...

  2. 12 CFR 400.101 - Cross-reference to employee financial disclosure and ethical conduct standards regulations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... disclosure and ethical conduct standards regulations. 400.101 Section 400.101 Banks and Banking EXPORT-IMPORT BANK OF THE UNITED STATES EMPLOYEE FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE AND ETHICAL CONDUCT STANDARDS REGULATIONS § 400.101 Cross-reference to employee financial disclosure and ethical conduct standards regulations...

  3. Management Communication Ethics Research: Finding the Bull's-Eye.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reinsch, N. Lamar, Jr.

    1996-01-01

    Argues that scholars who wish to produce substantive research in management communication ethics would be helped by a clear vision of what the term designates. States that management communication ethics should designate concerns that lie at the intersection of management, communication, and ethics. Concludes that this approach could help to…

  4. UNESCO's activities in ethics.

    PubMed

    ten Have, Henk A M J

    2010-03-01

    UNESCO is an intergovernmental organization with 193 Member States. It is concerned with a broad range of issues regarding education, science and culture. It is the only UN organisation with a mandate in science. Since 1993 it is addressing ethics of science and technology, with special emphasis on bioethics. One major objective of the ethics programme is the development of international normative standards. This is particularly important since many Member States only have a limited infrastructure in bioethics, lacking expertise, educational programs, bioethics committees and legal frameworks. UNESCO has recently adopted the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights. The focus of current activities is now on implementation of this Declaration. Three activities are discussed that aim at improving and reinforcing the ethics infrastructure in relation to science and technology: the Global Ethics Observatory, the Ethics Education Programme and the Assisting Bioethics Committees project.

  5. Identifying process and outcome indicators of successful transitions from child to adult mental health services: protocol for a scoping review

    PubMed Central

    Cleverley, Kristin; Bennett, Kathryn; Jeffs, Lianne

    2016-01-01

    Introduction A significant proportion of youth need to transition from child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) to adult mental health services (AMHS); however, the transition process is not well understood and often experienced poorly by youth. In the effort to design and evaluate standards of practice for transitions, there is a need to identify key elements of a successful transition. The objectives of this scoping review are to: (1) identify definitions of successful transitions from CAMHS to AMHS; and (2) identify indicators that have been used to measure CAMHS–AMHS transition care processes and quality, and outcomes. Methods We will search 8 electronic bibliographic databases from 1980 to 2016 (eg, Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO), professional associations, policy documents, and other grey literature to identify relevant material. We will include experimental, quasi-experimental, observational studies, and non-research studies (guidelines, narrative reviews, policy documents) examining the transition from CAMHS to AMHS. 2 raters will independently screen each retrieved title and abstract for eligibility using the study inclusion criteria (level 1), and then will independently assess full-text articles to determine if these meet the inclusion criteria (level 2). Data extraction will be completed and results will be synthesised both quantitatively and qualitatively. Ethics and dissemination The results of the scoping review will be used to develop a set of indicators that will be prioritised and evaluated in a Delphi consensus study. This will serve as a foundation for the development of the first instrument to assess the quality and success of CAMHS–AMHS transitions. Ethics approval is not required for this scoping study. PMID:27381213

  6. The viewing room: A lens for developing ethical comportment.

    PubMed

    McAllister, Margaret; Levett-Jones, Tracy; Petrini, Marcia A; Lasater, Kathie

    2016-01-01

    Healthcare is dynamic and complex, and against this background, nursing students must negotiate the transition from lay person to healthcare professional. Diverse life experiences and learning styles can further complicate this journey of transformation. The contemporary role of the nurse includes caring for and making clinical decisions about patients based on ethical principles. Learning about and integrating ethical comportment as part of the transformative journey requires nurse educators to create and implement learning experiences that challenge nursing students to think deeply and broadly about the experiences they encounter, to question their previous assumptions and prejudices, to consider the world of healthcare through a new lens, and to reflect on and learn from the process. The judicious use of film has the potential to assist students to recognize and develop ethical comportment as they prepare for real-world clinical practice experiences. In this paper, we present three film exemplars and related teaching strategies designed to facilitate transformative learning and development of ethical comportment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. The current state of clinical ethics and healthcare ethics committees in Belgium

    PubMed Central

    Meulenbergs, T; Vermylen, J; Schotsmans, P

    2005-01-01

    Ethics committees are the most important practical instrument of clinical ethics in Belgium and fulfil three tasks: the ethical review of experimental protocols, advising on the ethical aspects of healthcare practice, and ethics consultation. In this article the authors examine the current situation of ethics committees in Belgium from the perspective of clinical ethics. Firstly, the most important steps which thus far have been taken in Belgium are examined. Secondly, recent opinion by the Belgian Advisory Committee on Bioethics with regard to ethics committees is presented and the activities of Belgian ethics committees are discussed. Finally, the option to bring research ethics and clinical ethics under the roof of just one committee is criticised using a pragmatic and a methodological argument. Concomitantly, the authors build an argument in favour of the further development of ethics consultation. PMID:15923477

  8. Keeping Up With the Drones: Is Just War Theory Obsolete

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-04-29

    the laws of armed conflict. For centuries, just war principles have defined how responsible states have agreed to ethically wage war. The manner in...conflict. For centuries, just war principles have defined how responsible states have agreed to ethically wage war. The manner in which unmanned...3 will be morally and ethically waged. Failure to address the gaps this new technology exposes in traditional teachings will have profound

  9. Can one do good medical ethics without principles?

    PubMed

    Macklin, Ruth

    2015-01-01

    The criteria for determining what it is to do good medical ethics are the quality of ethical analysis and ethical justifications for decisions and actions. Justifications for decisions and actions rely on ethical principles, be they the 'famous four' or subsidiary ethical principles relevant to specific contexts. Examples from clinical ethics, research ethics and public health ethics reveal that even when not stated explicitly, principles are involved in ethical justifications. Principles may come into conflict, however, and the resolution of an ethical dilemma requires providing good reasons for preferring one principle over another. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  10. 45 CFR 706.1 - Cross-references to employee ethical conduct standards, financial disclosure and financial...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Cross-references to employee ethical conduct... EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES AND CONDUCT § 706.1 Cross-references to employee ethical conduct standards... States Commission on Civil Rights are subject to the executive branch standards of ethical conduct...

  11. 22 CFR 1100.1 - Cross-references to employee ethical conduct standards, financial disclosure and financial...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 2 2011-04-01 2009-04-01 true Cross-references to employee ethical conduct... STATES SECTION EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES AND CONDUCT § 1100.1 Cross-references to employee ethical... executive branch standards of ethical conduct contained in 5 CFR part 2635, the executive branch financial...

  12. 45 CFR 706.1 - Cross-references to employee ethical conduct standards, financial disclosure and financial...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Cross-references to employee ethical conduct... EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES AND CONDUCT § 706.1 Cross-references to employee ethical conduct standards... States Commission on Civil Rights are subject to the executive branch standards of ethical conduct...

  13. 22 CFR 1100.1 - Cross-references to employee ethical conduct standards, financial disclosure and financial...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Cross-references to employee ethical conduct... STATES SECTION EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES AND CONDUCT § 1100.1 Cross-references to employee ethical... executive branch standards of ethical conduct contained in 5 CFR part 2635, the executive branch financial...

  14. 45 CFR 706.1 - Cross-references to employee ethical conduct standards, financial disclosure and financial...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 3 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Cross-references to employee ethical conduct... EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES AND CONDUCT § 706.1 Cross-references to employee ethical conduct standards... States Commission on Civil Rights are subject to the executive branch standards of ethical conduct...

  15. 22 CFR 1100.1 - Cross-references to employee ethical conduct standards, financial disclosure and financial...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 2 2013-04-01 2009-04-01 true Cross-references to employee ethical conduct... STATES SECTION EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES AND CONDUCT § 1100.1 Cross-references to employee ethical... executive branch standards of ethical conduct contained in 5 CFR part 2635, the executive branch financial...

  16. 45 CFR 706.1 - Cross-references to employee ethical conduct standards, financial disclosure and financial...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 3 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Cross-references to employee ethical conduct... EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES AND CONDUCT § 706.1 Cross-references to employee ethical conduct standards... States Commission on Civil Rights are subject to the executive branch standards of ethical conduct...

  17. 45 CFR 706.1 - Cross-references to employee ethical conduct standards, financial disclosure and financial...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 3 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Cross-references to employee ethical conduct... EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES AND CONDUCT § 706.1 Cross-references to employee ethical conduct standards... States Commission on Civil Rights are subject to the executive branch standards of ethical conduct...

  18. Communicating Effectively to Resolve Ethical Concerns: The Role of School Psychology Supervisors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Olley, Rivka I.

    2010-01-01

    It is incumbent upon each school psychologist to engage in ethical behavior based on current ethical codes guiding school psychology. The school psychologist is often the team member most knowledgeable regarding federal and state laws mandating educational services. Sometimes ethical dilemmas that school psychologists face are the result of a…

  19. Correction.

    PubMed

    2015-06-01

    Gillon R. Defending the four principles approach as a good basis for good medical practice and therefore for good medical ethics. J Med Ethics 2015;41:111–6. The author misrepresented Beauchamp and Childress when he wrote: ‘My own view (unlike Beauchamp and Childress who explicitly state that they make no such claim ( p. 421)1, is that all moral agents whether or not they are doctors or otherwise involved in healthcare have these prima facie moral obligations; but in the context of answering the question ‘what is it to do good medical ethics ?’ my claim is limited to the ethical obligations of doctors’. The author intended and should have written the following: ‘My own view, unlike Beauchamp and Childress who explicitly state that they make no such claim (p.421)1 is that these four prima facie principles can provide a basic moral framework not only for medical ethics but for ethics in general’.

  20. The ethics of research using electronic mail discussion groups.

    PubMed

    Kralik, Debbie; Warren, Jim; Price, Kay; Koch, Tina; Pignone, Gino

    2005-12-01

    The aim of this paper is to identify and discuss the ethical considerations that have confronted and challenged the research team when researchers facilitate conversations using private electronic mail discussion lists. The use of electronic mail group conversations, as a collaborative data generation method, remains underdeveloped in nursing. Ethical challenges associated with this approach to data generation have only begun to be considered. As receipt of ethics approval for a study titled; 'Describing transition with people who live with chronic illness' we have been challenged by many ethical dilemmas, hence we believe it is timely to share the issues that have confronted the research team. These discussions are essential so we can understand the possibilities for research interaction, communication, and collaboration made possible by advanced information technologies. Our experiences in this study have increased our awareness for ongoing ethical discussions about privacy, confidentiality, consent, accountability and openness underpinning research with human participants when generating data using an electronic mail discussion group. We describe how we work at upholding these ethical principles focusing on informed consent, participant confidentiality and privacy, the participants as threats to themselves and one another, public-private confusion, employees with access, hackers and threats from the researchers. A variety of complex issues arise during cyberspace research that can make the application of traditional ethical standards troublesome. Communication in cyberspace alters the temporal, spatial and sensory components of human interaction, thereby challenging traditional ethical definitions and calling to question some basic assumptions about identity and ones right to keep aspects of it confidential. Nurse researchers are bound by human research ethics protocols; however, the nature of research by electronic mail generates moral issues as well as ethical concerns. Vigilance by researchers is required to ensure that data are viewed within the scope of the enabling ethics approval.

  1. Chinese nurses' ethical concerns in a neurological ward.

    PubMed

    Tang, Ping Fen; Johansson, Camilla; Wadensten, Barbro; Wenneberg, Stig; Ahlström, Gerd

    2007-11-01

    Our aim was to describe Chinese nurses' experiences of workplace distress and ethical dilemmas on a neurological ward. Qualitative interviews were performed with 20 nurses. On using latent content analysis, themes emerged in four content areas: ethical dilemmas, workplace distress, quality of nursing and managing distress. The ethical dilemmas were: (1) conflicting views on optimal treatment and nursing; (2) treatment choice meeting with financial constraints; and (3) misalignment of nursing responsibilities, competence and available resources. The patients' relatives lacked respect for the nurses' skills. Other dilemmas could be traced to the transition from a planned to a market economy, resulting in an excessive workload and treatment withdrawal for financial reasons. Lack of resources was perceived as an obstacle to proper patient care in addition to hospital organization, decreasing the quality of nursing, and increasing moral and workplace distress. The nurses managed mainly by striving for competence, which gave them hope for the future.

  2. [Issues of the practical value of ethics in healthcare].

    PubMed

    Liubarskiene, Zita

    2007-01-01

    In November 2006, the "Journal of Medical Ethics" published an article where prominent medical specialists stated that medical ethics, as a teaching and a theory, has no practical value. The article was based on the physicians' clinical experience and view that the theory of ethics has little in common with its application in daily practice and provides generalized guidelines for behavior, but is ineffective in decision-making in individual cases. At the same time, when describing conflict situations in healthcare, Lithuanian public press raises the role of ethics to the absolute and states that the lack or violation of ethics is the sole cause of all problems in healthcare, and there would be no problems if physicians behaved morally. From the viewpoint of an ethics professional, both controversial opinions deserve attention, and this paper is devoted to the analysis of these opinions. Ethical collisions and conflicts emerging in providing healthcare are not signs of the helplessness of medical ethics. Both viewpoints - the one disclaiming the role of medical ethics and the one attributing the absolute role to medical ethics - are equally erroneous. Decisions of the society and physicians are aggravated by health policy and the organization of healthcare in the country, as well as by a concrete individual's level of ethical thinking, worldview, and knowledge. Sometimes ethical collisions arise when there is a conflict among ethical principles themselves, and healthcare specialists have to decide which principle should be given priority. There are cases where setting priorities is impossible, and one has to admit that one single specialist is unable to solve the problem without his/her colleagues' assistance. Collective and collegial professionals' work helps to solve such ethical collisions.

  3. 34 CFR Appendix to Part 73 - Code of Ethics for Government Service

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 34 Education 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Code of Ethics for Government Service Appendix to Part.... Appendix to Part 73—Code of Ethics for Government Service Any person in Government service should: Put... Code of Ethics was unanimously passed by the United States Congress on June 27, 1980, and signed into...

  4. Ethical Issues and Codes of Ethics: Views of Adult Education Practitioners in Canada and the United States.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gordon, Wanda; Sork, Thomas J.

    2001-01-01

    Replicating an Indiana study, 261 responses from British Columbia adult educators revealed a high degree of support for codes of ethics and identified ethical dilemmas in practice. Half currently operated under a code. Responses to whether codes should have a regulatory function were mixed. (Contains 44 references.) (SK)

  5. Asserting the Possible: Gunzenhauser's "Ethics of the Everyday." Response to the Presidential Address

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Worley, Virginia

    2013-01-01

    In this article, the author responds to the Presidential address, "Ethics for the New Political Economy: What Can It Mean to Be Professionally Responsible?" in which Michael G. Gunzenhauser defines, names, and proposes a professional ethics for educators: an ethics of the everyday. The author introduces her response by stating that…

  6. Journalism Ethics: There Is a Difference between Law and Ethics.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hossom, Kathy

    1998-01-01

    Covers a session from the recent meetings of the Indiana High School Press Association (IHSPA). States that students discussed ethical decisions they face in their yearbooks and newspapers, such as handling death. Finds the biggest concern is "really covering the good and bad things in the school." Gives IHSPA's 10-point Code of Ethics.…

  7. 75 FR 30409 - Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-Ethics...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-06-01

    ... Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention--Ethics Subcommittee (ES) In... to the ACD, CDC, regarding a broad range of public health ethics questions and issues arising from... address public health ethics issues and coordination of these efforts with the CDC Office of State, Tribal...

  8. 34 CFR Appendix to Part 73 - Code of Ethics for Government Service

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 34 Education 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Code of Ethics for Government Service Appendix to Part.... Appendix to Part 73—Code of Ethics for Government Service Any person in Government service should: Put... Code of Ethics was unanimously passed by the United States Congress on June 27, 1980, and signed into...

  9. 75 FR 57044 - Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-Ethics...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-09-17

    ... Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)--Ethics Subcommittee (ES... will provide counsel to the ACD, CDC, regarding a broad range of public health ethics questions and...; efforts to support state, tribal, local and territorial health departments address ethical issues in the...

  10. A Comparative Study of Ethical Values of Business Students: American vs. Middle Eastern Cultures

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shurden, Michael; Shurden, Susan; Cagwin, Douglass

    2008-01-01

    Business schools must prepare students to face the world and yet maintain strong ethical convictions. The question of ethics in the business environment is not exclusive to the United States. Ethical business behavior is a multinational issue, and all business schools world-wide must deal with this issue. However, cultural differences often define…

  11. 34 CFR Appendix to Part 73 - Code of Ethics for Government Service

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 34 Education 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Code of Ethics for Government Service Appendix to Part.... Appendix to Part 73—Code of Ethics for Government Service Any person in Government service should: Put... Code of Ethics was unanimously passed by the United States Congress on June 27, 1980, and signed into...

  12. 34 CFR Appendix to Part 73 - Code of Ethics for Government Service

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 34 Education 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Code of Ethics for Government Service Appendix to Part.... Appendix to Part 73—Code of Ethics for Government Service Any person in Government service should: Put... Code of Ethics was unanimously passed by the United States Congress on June 27, 1980, and signed into...

  13. 34 CFR Appendix to Part 73 - Code of Ethics for Government Service

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 34 Education 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Code of Ethics for Government Service Appendix to Part.... Appendix to Part 73—Code of Ethics for Government Service Any person in Government service should: Put... Code of Ethics was unanimously passed by the United States Congress on June 27, 1980, and signed into...

  14. Ethics Education in Accounting Curricula: Does It Influence Recruiters' Hiring Decisions of Entry-Level Accountants?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Breaux, Kevin; Chiasson, Michael; Mauldin, Shawn; Whitney, Teresa

    2010-01-01

    Recently, the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) has focused its attention on mandating specific ethics coursework within the 150-hr requirement for eligibility to sit for the uniform CPA examination. This push for ethics education heightened attention toward ethics in the accounting curriculum and is the basis for the…

  15. The Culture War, Modern Economics, and Environmental Education in The United States.

    PubMed

    Hargrove, Eugene C

    2016-01-01

    Teaching ethics in public schools in the United States has been made almost impossible because of the Culture War and Modern Economics. When Catholics began to migrate to the United States in the early nineteenth century, they found that Protestant religion and ethics were taught in public schools and they created their own parochial schools. This controversy has continued for two hundred years. To encourage the Catholics to send their children to the public schools, by 1860 religion and ethics had been removed from the public schools. Concern about the teaching of ethics spread to other religious and non-religious groups. These groups attack the teaching of ethics as the indoctrination of the personal values of teachers, and when teachers include alternative ethical views to avoid indoctrination they are accused of relativism. According to Modern Economics, value terms are meaningless unless they have been translated into economic terms based on willingness to pay. This approach overlooks the social values that make up the cultural heritage of a society. Although children acquire these social values tacitly, since they are not taught these values as a common heritage, they come to believe that they invented them ahistorically and that they are just how they feel (ethical emotivism). By teaching children social values as a common heritage, the charges of indoctrination and relativism and the replacement of these values with economic terms can be avoided, later permitting a more objective role for ethics in public affairs among adults.

  16. Trends In Geoscience Professional Ethics Indicated By National Association of State Boards of Geology (ASBOG®) Surveys of The Practicing Profession

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Williams, J. W.; Warner, J. L.

    2016-12-01

    ASBOG® was founded in 1988 to facilitate cooperation and coordination among states with licensing of practicing professional geologists-currently 29 states and Puerto Rico. ASBOG® creates national exams which are used by all of the states granting licensure. Periodic surveys of the practicing profession every 5 years are used to determine the skills and knowledge needed for professional practice and are used to generate the exam blueprints. Currently questions on professional ethics are included on the national licensing exams. Thirteen professional ethics issues in the geosciences were included on the Task Analysis Surveys (TAS) in 2005, 2010 and 2015. Professional geologists rate the seriousness of and the frequency of contact with these ethics issues. Topics include such items as gift-giving, whistleblowing, plagiarism, etc. The respondents are grouped into one of three categories: practicing licensed geologists in the United States, practicing licensed geologists in Canada, and geologists employed in the academic sector. Regardless of the employment sector, the responses to the professional ethics questions were statistically very similar (r values - Seriousness - USA vs. Academic +0.81, USA vs. Canada +0.94, Academic vs. Canada +0.86: Frequency - USA vs. Academic +0.71, USA vs. Canada +0.85, Academic vs. Canada +0.72). Some differences were detected. For example, plagiarism is regarded by practitioners in the academic sector as more important than this issue among licensed practicing geologists in the United States and Canada. The professional ethics issues asked on the 2010 and 2015 surveys are identical to facilitate detection of any temporal changes in response patterns. Statistically, the responses from practicing geologists in the USA in the 2010 and 2015 surveys are nearly identical, indicating that the profession has maintained virtually the same attitudes with regard to professional ethics (Seriousness r = +0.99, Frequency r = +0.99).

  17. Physician shadowing: a review of the literature and proposal for guidelines.

    PubMed

    Kitsis, Elizabeth A; Goldsammler, Michelle

    2013-01-01

    Premedical students commonly shadow physicians to gain an understanding of what careers in medicine entail. The authors reviewed the literature to explore (1) whether shadowing achieves this goal consistently and effectively, (2) the ethical issues involved, and (3) other reasons that individuals shadow physicians. The authors searched the MEDLINE database via Ovid for English-language articles published from 1948 to March 2011. Eligible articles described physician shadowing programs and/or assessed the value of physician shadowing independently or in comparison with other educational methods. Of 770 articles identified, 13 articles about physician shadowing programs met inclusion criteria. Two of the 13 programs involved shadowing only, whereas 11 included other educational initiatives. Participants varied; shadowers included students (high school, college, medical school), recent medical school graduates, or international medical graduates. Few studies addressed shadowing by premedical students. Most studies involved programs outside the United States. Shadowing program objectives and characteristics differed. Data reported from focus groups, interviews, and surveys suggest that shadowing experiences generally increased participants' interest in medicine (or a specialty) or improved participants' confidence in transitioning to a new position. Some articles raised ethical and practical concerns related to shadowing. The few shadowing programs described in the literature were heterogeneous and often involved other activities. Further research is warranted; objective outcomes measures would be useful. The authors propose developing guidelines and introducing a code of conduct for premedical students, to enhance the consistency of shadowing experiences and address ethical and practical considerations.

  18. Ethical implications for clinical practice and future research in "at risk" individuals.

    PubMed

    Singh, Fiza; Mirzakhanian, Heline; Fusar-Poli, Paolo; de la Fuente-Sandoval, Camilo; Cadenhead, Kristin S

    2012-01-01

    The last 15 years have witnessed a shift in schizophrenia research with increasing interest in earlier stages of illness with the hope of early intervention and ultimately prevention of psychotic illness. Large-scale longitudinal studies have identified clinical and biological risk factors associated with increased risk of psychotic conversion, which together with symptomatic and demographic risk factors may improve the power of prediction algorithms for psychotic transition. Despite these advances, 45-70% of at risk subjects in most samples do not convert to frank psychosis, but continue to function well below their age matched counterparts. The issue is of utmost importance in light of the upcoming DSM-V and the possible inclusion of the attenuated psychotic symptoms syndrome (APSS) diagnosis, with clinical and ethical implications. Clinical considerations include feasibility of reliably diagnosing the at risk state in non-academic medical centers, variable psychotic conversion rates, a non-uniform definition of conversion and extensive debate about treatment for individuals with an ill-defined outcome. On the ethical side, diagnosing APSS could lead to unnecessary prescribing of antipsychotics with long-term deleterious consequences, slow research by providing a false sense of comfort in the diagnosis, and have psychosocial implications for those who receive a diagnosis. Thus it may be prudent to engage at risk populations early and to use broad-spectrum treatments with low risk benefit ratios to relieve functional impairments, while simultaneously studying all subsets of the at risk population.

  19. Ethical Responsibility of Governance for Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction with Development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Parkash Gupta, Surya

    2015-04-01

    The development in the public as well as the private sectors is controlled and regulated, directly or indirectly by the governments at federal, provincial and local levels. If this development goes haphazard and unplanned, without due considerations to environmental constraints and potential hazards; it is likely to cause disasters or may get affected by disasters. Therefore, it becomes an ethical responsibility of the people involved in governance sector to integrate disaster risk reduction with development in their administrative territories through enforcement of appropriate policies, guidelines and regulatory mechanisms. Such mechanisms should address the social, scientific, economic, environmental, and legal requirements that play significant role in planning, implementation of developmental activities as well as disaster management. The paper focuses on defining the ethical responsibilities for the governance sector for integrating disaster risk reduction with development. It highlights the ethical issues with examples from two case studies, one from the Uttarakhand state and the other Odhisa state in India. The case studies illustrates how does it make a difference in disaster risk reduction if the governments own or do not own ethical responsibilities. The paper considers two major disaster events, flash floods in Uttarakhand state and Cyclone Phailin in Odhisa state, that happened during the year 2013. The study points out that it makes a great difference in terms of consequences and response to disasters when ethical responsibilities are owned by the governance sector. The papers attempts to define these ethical responsibilities for integrating disaster risk reduction with development so that the governments can be held accountable for their acts or non-actions.

  20. Research Ethics in the Context of Transition: Gaps in Policies and Programs on the Protection of Research Participants in the Selected Countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

    PubMed

    Famenka, Andrei

    2016-12-01

    This paper examines the ability of countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) to ensure appropriate protection of research participants in the field of increasingly globalizing biomedical research. By applying an analytical framework for identifying gaps in policies and programs for human subjects protection to four countries of CEE-Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, substantial gaps in the scope and content of relevant policies and major impediments to program performance have been revealed. In these countries, public policies on the protection of research participants lack consistency and reliable mechanisms for their implementation. Impediments to program performance most often relate to inadequacies in the national research ethics systems with regard to organizational structure, budgetary support, supervision, and training. The level of research ethics capacity varies from country to country and depends on socio-economic and political factors of post-communist transition. The breadth and depth of the problems identified suggest that the current level of protection for research participants in CEE might be inadequate to the challenges posed by the globalization of biomedical research. In CEE countries, there is a need for strengthening research ethics capacity through modification of relevant policies and improvement of program management. The differences among the countries call for further research on identifying the best approaches for filling the gaps in the policies and programs aimed at ensuring effective protection of research participants.

  1. Research ethics in the context of transition: gaps in policies and programs on the protection of research participants in the selected countries of Central and Eastern Europe

    PubMed Central

    Famenka, Andrei

    2015-01-01

    This paper examines the ability of countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) to ensure appropriate protection of research participants in the field of increasingly globalizing biomedical research. By applying an analytical framework for identifying gaps in policies and programs for human subjects protection to four countries of CEE – Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, substantial gaps in the scope and content of relevant policies and major impediments to program performance have been revealed. In these countries, public policies on the protection of research participants lack consistency and reliable mechanisms for their implementation. Impediments to program performance most often relate to inadequacies in the national research ethics systems with regard to organizational structure, budgetary support, supervision, and training. The level of research ethics capacity varies from country to country and depends on socio-economic and political factors of post-communist transition. The breadth and depth of the problems identified suggest that the current level of protection for research participants in CEE might be inadequate to the challenges posed by the globalization of biomedical research. In CEE countries, there is a need for strengthening research ethics capacity through modification of relevant policies and improvement of program management. The differences among the countries call for further research on identifying the best approaches for filling the gaps in the policies and programs aimed at ensuring effective protection of research participants. PMID:26548313

  2. Ethical, legal, and social aspects of farm animal cloning in the 6th Framework Programme for Research.

    PubMed

    Claxton, John; Sachez, Elena; Matthiessen-Guyader, Line

    2004-01-01

    Cloned livestock have potential importance in the provision of improved medicine as well as in the development of livestock production. The public is, however, increasingly concerned about the social and ethical consequences of these advances in knowledge and techniques. There is unevenness throughout Europe in different Member States' attitudes to research into livestock cloning. Although there is EU legislation controlling the use of animals for research purposes, there is no legislation specifically governing cloning in livestock production. The main EU reference is the 9th Opinion of the European Group on Ethics, which states "Cloning of farm animals may prove to be of medical and agricultural as well as economic benefit. It is acceptable only when the aims and methods are ethically justified and when carried out under ethical conditions." The ethical justification includes the avoidance of suffering, the use of the 3Rs principle and a lack of better alternatives. The Commission addresses these issues in the 6th Framework Programme by promoting the integration of ethical, legal and social aspects in all proposals where they are relevant, by fostering ethical awareness and foresight in the proposals, by encouraging public dialogue, and by supporting specific actions to promote the debate. Research must respect fundamental ethical principles, including animal welfare requirements.

  3. 75 FR 55941 - Supplemental Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Export-Import Bank of the United...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-09-15

    ...] Supplemental Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Export-Import Bank of the United States AGENCY... the concurrence of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE), is issuing a final rule that supplements the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch (Standards). This final rule adopts prior...

  4. A Survey of Ethics Content in College-Level Remote Sensing Courses in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wetherholt, William A.; Rundquist, Bradley C.

    2010-01-01

    Easier access to submeter imagery has fueled debates over ethical uses of remote sensing. Some have called for ethics instruction to counter undesired uses of the technology. Here, this article reports the results of a survey examining attitudes related to teaching ethics in remote sensing. It was found that 52 percent of respondents teaching…

  5. Everyday Ethics: Ethical Issues and Stress in Nursing Practice

    PubMed Central

    Ulrich, Connie M.; Taylor, Carol; Soeken, Karen; O'Donnell, Patricia; Farrar, Adrienne; Danis, Marion; Grady, Christine

    2010-01-01

    Aim This paper is a report of a study of the type, frequency, and level of stress of ethical issues encountered by nurses in their everyday practice. Background Everyday ethical issues in nursing practice attract little attention but can create stress for nurses. Nurses often feel uncomfortable in addressing the ethical issues they encounter in patient care. Methods A self-administered survey was sent in 2004 to 1000 nurses in four states in four different census regions of the United States of America. The adjusted response rate was 52%. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations and Pearson correlations. Results A total of 422 questionnaires were used in the analysis. The five most frequently-occurring and most stressful ethical and patient care issues were protecting patients' rights; autonomy and informed consent to treatment; staffing patterns; advanced care planning; and surrogate decision-making. Other common occurrences were unethical practices of healthcare professionals; breaches of patient confidentiality or right to privacy; and end-of-life decision-making. Younger nurses and those with fewer years of experience encountered ethical issues more frequently and reported higher levels of stress. Nurses from different regions also experienced specific types of ethical problems more commonly. Conclusion Nurses face daily ethical challenges in the provision of quality care. To retain nurses, targeted ethics-related interventions that address caring for an increasingly complex patient population are needed. PMID:20735502

  6. Everyday ethics: ethical issues and stress in nursing practice.

    PubMed

    Ulrich, Connie M; Taylor, Carol; Soeken, Karen; O'Donnell, Patricia; Farrar, Adrienne; Danis, Marion; Grady, Christine

    2010-11-01

    This paper is a report of a study of the type, frequency, and level of stress of ethical issues encountered by nurses in their everyday practice. Everyday ethical issues in nursing practice attract little attention but can create stress for nurses. Nurses often feel uncomfortable in addressing the ethical issues they encounter in patient care. A self-administered survey was sent in 2004 to 1000 nurses in four states in four different census regions of the United States of America. The adjusted response rate was 52%. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations and Pearson correlations. A total of 422 questionnaires were used in the analysis. The five most frequently occurring and most stressful ethical and patient care issues were protecting patients' rights; autonomy and informed consent to treatment; staffing patterns; advanced care planning; and surrogate decision-making. Other common occurrences were unethical practices of healthcare professionals; breaches of patient confidentiality or right to privacy; and end-of-life decision-making. Younger nurses and those with fewer years of experience encountered ethical issues more frequently and reported higher levels of stress. Nurses from different regions also experienced specific types of ethical problems more commonly. Nurses face daily ethical challenges in the provision of quality care. To retain nurses, targeted ethics-related interventions that address caring for an increasingly complex patient population are needed. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  7. Birthing Ethics: What Mothers, Families, Childbirth Educators, Nurses, and Physicians Should Know About the Ethics of Childbirth

    PubMed Central

    Torres, Jennifer M; De Vries, Raymond G

    2009-01-01

    This article discusses current ethical issues associated with childbirth in the United States. It provides a review of moral problems and ethical choices made by parents and health-care professionals during the prenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum periods. Ethical issues are identified and framed through a “naturalized bioethics” approach, as recommended by Margaret Walker and her colleagues, Hilde Lindemann and Marian Verkerk. This approach critiques traditional bioethics and gives attention to everyday ethics and the social, economic, and political context within which ethical problems exist. This approach provides the reader with the tools needed to critically assess the way ethical problems are defined and resolved. PMID:19360141

  8. Ethics and professionalism in medical physics: a survey of AAPM members.

    PubMed

    Ozturk, Naim; Armato, Samuel G; Giger, Maryellen L; Serago, Christopher F; Ross, Lainie F

    2013-04-01

    To assess current education, practices, attitudes, and perceptions pertaining to ethics and professionalism in medical physics. A link to a web-based survey was distributed to the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) e-mail membership list, with a follow-up e-mail sent two weeks later. The survey included questions about ethics/professionalism education, direct personal knowledge of ethically questionable practices in clinical care, research, education (teaching and mentoring), and professionalism, respondents' assessment of their ability to address ethical/professional dilemmas, and demographics. For analysis, reports of unethical or ethically questionable practices or behaviors by approximately 40% or more of respondents were classified as "frequent." Partial or complete responses were received from 18% (1394/7708) of AAPM members. Overall, 60% (827/1377) of the respondents stated that they had not received ethics/professionalism education during their medical physics training. Respondents currently in training were more likely to state that they received instruction in ethics/professionalism (80%, 127/159) versus respondents who were post-training (35%, 401/1159). Respondents' preferred method of instruction in ethics/professionalism was structured periodic discussions involving both faculty and students/trainees. More than 90% (1271/1384) supported continuing education in ethics/professionalism and 75% (1043/1386) stated they would attend ethics/professionalism sessions at professional/scientific meetings. In the research setting, reports about ethically questionable authorship assignment were frequent (approximately 40%) whereas incidents of ethically questionable practices about human subjects protections were quite infrequent (5%). In the clinical setting, there was frequent recollection of incidents regarding lack of training, resources and skills, and error/incident reporting. In the educational setting, incidents of unethical or ethically questionable practices were only frequently recollected with respect to mentorship/guidance. With respect to professional conduct, favoritism, hostile work/learning environment, and maltreatment of subordinates and colleagues were frequently reported. A significantly larger proportion of women reported experiences with hostile work/learning environments, favoritism, poor mentorship, unfairness in educational settings, and concerns about student privacy and confidentiality. The survey found broad interest in ethics/professionalism topics and revealed that these topics were being integrated into the curriculum at many institutions. The incorporation of ethics and professionalism instruction into both graduate education and postgraduate training of medical physicists, and into their subsequent lifelong continuing education is important given the nontrivial number of medical physicists who had direct personal knowledge of unethical or ethically questionable incidents in clinical practice, research, education, and professionalism.

  9. Ethics and professionalism in medical physics: A survey of AAPM members

    PubMed Central

    Ozturk, Naim; Armato, Samuel G.; Giger, Maryellen L.; Serago, Christopher F.; Ross, Lainie F.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: To assess current education, practices, attitudes, and perceptions pertaining to ethics and professionalism in medical physics. Methods: A link to a web-based survey was distributed to the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) e-mail membership list, with a follow-up e-mail sent two weeks later. The survey included questions about ethics/professionalism education, direct personal knowledge of ethically questionable practices in clinical care, research, education (teaching and mentoring), and professionalism, respondents’ assessment of their ability to address ethical/professional dilemmas, and demographics. For analysis, reports of unethical or ethically questionable practices or behaviors by approximately 40% or more of respondents were classified as “frequent.” Results: Partial or complete responses were received from 18% (1394/7708) of AAPM members. Overall, 60% (827/1377) of the respondents stated that they had not received ethics/professionalism education during their medical physics training. Respondents currently in training were more likely to state that they received instruction in ethics/professionalism (80%, 127/159) versus respondents who were post-training (35%, 401/1159). Respondents’ preferred method of instruction in ethics/professionalism was structured periodic discussions involving both faculty and students/trainees. More than 90% (1271/1384) supported continuing education in ethics/professionalism and 75% (1043/1386) stated they would attend ethics/professionalism sessions at professional/scientific meetings. In the research setting, reports about ethically questionable authorship assignment were frequent (approximately 40%) whereas incidents of ethically questionable practices about human subjects protections were quite infrequent (5%). In the clinical setting, there was frequent recollection of incidents regarding lack of training, resources and skills, and error/incident reporting. In the educational setting, incidents of unethical or ethically questionable practices were only frequently recollected with respect to mentorship/guidance. With respect to professional conduct, favoritism, hostile work/learning environment, and maltreatment of subordinates and colleagues were frequently reported. A significantly larger proportion of women reported experiences with hostile work/learning environments, favoritism, poor mentorship, unfairness in educational settings, and concerns about student privacy and confidentiality. Conclusions: The survey found broad interest in ethics/professionalism topics and revealed that these topics were being integrated into the curriculum at many institutions. The incorporation of ethics and professionalism instruction into both graduate education and postgraduate training of medical physicists, and into their subsequent lifelong continuing education is important given the nontrivial number of medical physicists who had direct personal knowledge of unethical or ethically questionable incidents in clinical practice, research, education, and professionalism. PMID:23556930

  10. Ethical considerations in pediatric neurology.

    PubMed

    Ronen, Gabriel M; Dan, Bernard

    2013-01-01

    The practice of pediatric neurology demands a high level of responsibility at multiple levels. These include listening carefully to people's stories in order to assess each situation, planning and implementing investigations and therapies, individual and family counseling, longitudinal follow-up from fetal life throughout childhood and adolescence, organization of transition to adult care, and societal advocacy. In the 21st century these activities must be carried out in the context of major societal and technological changes which have brought about many new challenges for pediatric neurologists. In this chapter, we address ethical and moral issues that may help guide pediatric neurologists with regard to a number of specific challenges. These include physician-patient relationships that are based on benign paternalism with respect for autonomy and promoting quality of life, practicing evidence-based medicine, and the technological imperative. In addition we discuss the tension between clinical practice and research, relationships between physicians and industry, and the public role of pediatric neurologists to advocate for children with neurological and developmental conditions. We also illustrate some challenges in selected situations such as prenatal counseling (fetal neurology), neonatal encephalopathy, and persistent vegetative state. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Perceptions of the hospital ethical environment among hospital social workers in the United States.

    PubMed

    Pugh, Greg L

    2015-01-01

    Hospital social workers are in a unique context of practice, and one where the ethical environment has a profound influence on the ethical behavior. This study determined the ratings of ethical environment by hospital social workers in large nationwide sample. Correlates suggest by and compared to studies of ethical environment with nurses are explored. Positive ratings of the ethical environment are primarily associated with job satisfaction, as well as working in a centralized social work department and for a non-profit hospital. Religiosity and MSW education were not predictive. Implications and suggestions for managing the hospital ethical environment are provided.

  12. A Study of Ethics Education within Therapeutic Recreation Curriculum.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nisbett, Nancy; Brown-Welty, Sharon; O'Keefe, Cathy

    2002-01-01

    Explored the status of ethics education within therapeutic recreation. Researchers surveyed all entry-level undergraduate and graduate therapeutic recreation training programs in one state, examining responses for differences in content and delivery. Programs appeared consistent with regard to ethics instruction, integrating similar content…

  13. Predictors of nurse practitioners' autonomy: effects of organizational, ethical, and market characteristics.

    PubMed

    Ulrich, Connie; Soeken, Karen; Miller, Nancy

    2003-07-01

    To identify the predictors of autonomy of nurse practitioners (NPs) affiliated directly and/or indirectly with managed-care systems (e.g., HMOs). A mailed survey sent to a stratified random sample of 254 NPs certified and licensed to practice in the state of Maryland. The measures consisted of selected organizational characteristics; market factors of HMO penetration and percentage of client population enrolled in managed care; and factors of ethical concern, such as ethical ideology, ethics education, and autonomy. The County Surveyor Database was used to assess market penetration in the state. Although NPs were ethically concerned about their autonomy in a managed-care environment (70.2%), actual autonomy scores were high. The higher the percentage of HMO penetration, percentage of client population enrolled in managed care, and perceived ethical concern, the lower the perceived autonomy of NPs. Findings may be used for future research to address the complexity of variables that influence the autonomous practice of NPs.

  14. Person-centred transition programme to empower adolescents with congenital heart disease in the transition to adulthood: a study protocol for a hybrid randomised controlled trial (STEPSTONES project)

    PubMed Central

    Acuña Mora, Mariela; Sparud-Lundin, Carina; Bratt, Ewa-Lena; Moons, Philip

    2017-01-01

    Introduction When a young person grows up, they evolve from an independent child to an empowered adult. If an individual has a chronic condition, this additional burden may hamper adequate development and independence. Transition programmes for young persons with chronic disorders aim to provide the necessary skills for self-management and participation in care. However, strong evidence on the effects of these interventions is lacking. Therefore, as part of the STEPSTONES project (Swedish Transition Effects Project Supporting Teenagers with chrONic mEdical conditionS), we propose a trial to assess the effectiveness of a structured, person-centred transition programme to empower adolescents with congenital heart disease in the transition to adulthood. Methods/design STEPSTONES will use a hybrid experimental design in which a randomised controlled trial is embedded in a longitudinal, observational study. It will be conducted in 4 paediatric cardiology centres in Sweden. 2 centres will be allocated to the randomised controlled trial group, assigning patients randomly to the intervention group (n=63) or the comparison group (n=63). The other 2 centres will form the intervention-naïve control group (n=63). The primary outcome is the level of patient empowerment, as measured by the Gothenburg Young Persons Empowerment Scale (GYPES). Ethics and dissemination The study has been approved by the Regional Ethical Board of Gothenburg, Sweden. Findings will be reported following the CONSORT statement and disseminated at international conferences and as published papers in peer-reviewed journals. Trial registration number NCT02675361; pre-results. PMID:28420661

  15. The origin of ethics and social order in a society without state power.

    PubMed

    Yamamoto, K

    1999-06-01

    How ethics and social order in a society without state power had originated and developed is one of enigmas which human beings have tried to solve for a long time. Several theories on the origin of social order have been proposed since the "Social Contract" theory of Thomas Hobbes. According to Hobbes, as a society without state power is in a condition called war, a social contract among men is the origin of social order in a society where every man is against every man. Rousseau says that when human beings reach the stage in which they live in a permanent neighborhood, a property system is introduced. Then, too much ambition and avarice of man who has possessions compel him to propose the formation of a political institution, providing social order which enables him to keep his possessions. According to Nietzsche, the principle of equilibrium, that is, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth is an important concept for the oldest theory of low and morality as well as the basis of justice. The sense of superiority and nobility which a strong man brave enough to take revenge feels is the origin of the antithesis "good" and "bad". Girard says that the sacred violence wielded by the community to sacrifice a surrogate victim brings about social order in a society without state power. All the aforementioned theories seem to have failed to find out that a society without state power has its own ethics that had spontaneously developed on the pagan culture. Previously, I indicated that a society without state power or a society where state power cannot function well, such as the tribal society in northern Albania, has ethics which is based on the ancient concepts of "Guest-god", "food (commensality)" and "blood". In the present paper, I propose a new theory on the origin of ethics and social order, using the model of ethics of the Kanun.

  16. Health promotion: an ethical analysis.

    PubMed

    Carter, Stacy M

    2014-04-01

    Thinking and practising ethically requires reasoning systematically about the right thing to do. Health promotion ethics - a form of applied ethics - includes analysis of health promotion practice and how this can be ethically justified. Existing frameworks can assist in such evaluation. These acknowledge the moral value of delivering benefits. But benefits need to be weighed against burdens, harms or wrongs, and these should be minimised: they include invading privacy, breaking confidentiality, restraining liberty, undermining self-determination or people's own values, or perpetuating injustice. Thinking about the ethics of health promotion also means recognising health promotion as a normative ideal: a vision of the good society. This ideal society values health, sees citizens as active and includes them in decisions that affect them, and makes the state responsible for providing all of its citizens, no matter how advantaged or disadvantaged, with the conditions and resources they need to be healthy. Ethicists writing about health promotion have focused on this relationship between the citizen and the state. Comparing existing frameworks, theories and the expressed values of practitioners themselves, we can see common patterns. All oppose pursuing an instrumental, individualistic, health-at-all-costs vision of health promotion. And all defend the moral significance of just processes: those that engage with citizens in a transparent, inclusive and open way. In recent years, some Australian governments have sought to delegitimise health promotion, defining it as extraneous to the role of the state. Good evidence is not enough to counter this trend, because it is founded in competing visions of a good society. For this reason, the most pressing agenda for health promotion ethics is to engage with communities, in a procedurally just way, about the role and responsibilities of the citizen and the state in promoting and maintaining good health.

  17. Ethical Misconduct of Business Students: Some New Evidence

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Deshpande, Satish P.; Joseph, Jacob; Berry, Kevin

    2012-01-01

    This study examines ethical misconduct of 193 business students in four universities in the United States. In addition to self-reported ethical behavior, two dimensions of emotional intelligence (self-emotions appraisal and others emotions appraisal) significantly impacted student misconduct. None of the other dimensions of emotional intelligence…

  18. Examining Teacher Ethical Dilemmas in Classroom Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pope, Nakia; Green, Susan K.; Johnson, Robert L.; Mitchell, Mark

    2009-01-01

    The current spotlight on assessment in education raises ethical issues as practices evolve. This study documents ethical conflicts faced by teachers in the United States regarding assessment of students. Critical incidents generated by practising teachers revealed a majority of reported conflicts related to score pollution, and conflicts…

  19. 5 CFR 2634.603 - Custody of and access to public reports.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... executive branch Privacy Act system of records (available for inspection at the Office of Government Ethics.... 2634.603 Section 2634.603 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS GOVERNMENT ETHICS... the individual or other sensitive information, compromise the national interest of the United States...

  20. Ethical Guidance for Disaster Response, Specifically Around Crisis Standards of Care: A Systematic Review.

    PubMed

    Leider, Jonathon P; DeBruin, Debra; Reynolds, Nicole; Koch, Angelica; Seaberg, Judy

    2017-09-01

    Terrorism, disease outbreaks, and other natural disasters and mass casualty events have pushed health care and public health systems to identify and refine emergency preparedness protocols for disaster response. Ethical guidance, alongside legal and medical frameworks, are increasingly common components of disaster response plans. To systematically review the prevalence and content of ethical guidance offered for disaster response, specifically around crisis standards of care (CSCs). We systematically indexed academic literature from PubMed, Google Scholar, and ISI Web of Science from 2012 to 2016. We searched for peer-reviewed articles that substantively engaged in discussion of ethical guidance for CSCs. Researchers screened potential articles for identification and discussion of ethical issues in CSC planning. We categorized and cataloged ethical concepts and principles. Of 580 peer-reviewed articles mentioning ethics and CSCs or disaster planning, 38 (6%) met selection criteria. The systematic review of the CSC ethics literature since 2012 showed that authors were primarily focused on the ethical justifications for CSC (n = 20) as well as a need for ethics guidelines for implementing CSCs; the ethical justifications for triage (n = 19), both as to which criteria to use and the appropriate processes by which to employ triage; and international issues (n = 17). In addition to these areas of focus, the scholarly literature included discussion of a number of other ethical issues, including duty to care (n = 11), concepts of a duty to plan (n = 8), utilitarianism (n = 5), moral distress (n = 4), professional norms (n = 3), reciprocity (n = 2), allocation criteria (n = 4), equity (n = 4), research ethics (n = 2), duty to steward resources (n = 2), social utility and social worth (n = 2), and a number of others (n = 20). Although public health preparedness efforts have paid increasing attention to CSCs in recent years, CSC plans have rarely been implemented within the United States to date, although some components are common (e.g., triage is used in US emergency departments regularly). Conversely, countries outside the United States more commonly implement CSCs within a natural disaster or humanitarian crisis response, and may offer significant insight into ethics and disaster response for US-based practitioners. This systematic review identifies the most oft-used and -discussed ethical concepts and principles used in disaster planning around CSCs. Although discussion of more nuanced issues (e.g., health equity) are present, the majority of items substantively engaging in ethical discussion around disaster planning do so regarding triage and why ethics is needed in disaster response generally. Public health implications. A significant evolution in disaster planning has occurred within the past decade; ethical theories and frameworks have been put to work. For ethical guidance to be useful, it must be practical and implementable. Although high-level, abstract frameworks were once prevalent in disaster planning-especially in the early days of pandemic planning-concerns about the ethically difficult concept of CSCs pervade scholarly articles. Ethical norms must be clearly stated and justified and practical guidelines ought to follow from them. Ethical frameworks should guide clinical protocols, but this requires that ethical analysis clarifies what strategies to use to honor ethical commitments and achieve ethical objectives. Such implementation issues must be considered well ahead of a disaster. As governments and health care systems plan for mass casualty events, ethical guidance that is theoretically sound and practically useful can-and should-form an important foundation from which to build practical guidance for responding to disasters with morally appropriate means.

  1. Reflexive Principlism as an Effective Approach for Developing Ethical Reasoning in Engineering.

    PubMed

    Beever, Jonathan; Brightman, Andrew O

    2016-02-01

    An important goal of teaching ethics to engineering students is to enhance their ability to make well-reasoned ethical decisions in their engineering practice: a goal in line with the stated ethical codes of professional engineering organizations. While engineering educators have explored a wide range of methodologies for teaching ethics, a satisfying model for developing ethical reasoning skills has not been adopted broadly. In this paper we argue that a principlist-based approach to ethical reasoning is uniquely suited to engineering ethics education. Reflexive Principlism is an approach to ethical decision-making that focuses on internalizing a reflective and iterative process of specification, balancing, and justification of four core ethical principles in the context of specific cases. In engineering, that approach provides structure to ethical reasoning while allowing the flexibility for adaptation to varying contexts through specification. Reflexive Principlism integrates well with the prevalent and familiar methodologies of reasoning within the engineering disciplines as well as with the goals of engineering ethics education.

  2. Physicians' and nurses' expectations and objections toward a clinical ethics committee.

    PubMed

    Jansky, Maximiliane; Marx, Gabriella; Nauck, Friedemann; Alt-Epping, Bernd

    2013-11-01

    The study aimed to explore the subjective need of healthcare professionals for ethics consultation, their experience with ethical conflicts, and expectations and objections toward a Clinical Ethics Committee. Staff at a university hospital took part in a survey (January to June 2010) using a questionnaire with open and closed questions. Descriptive data for physicians and nurses (response rate = 13.5%, n = 101) are presented. Physicians and nurses reported similar high frequencies of ethical conflicts but rated the relevance of ethical issues differently. Nurses stated ethical issues as less important to physicians than to themselves. Ethical conflicts were mostly discussed with staff from one's own profession. Respondents predominantly expected the Clinical Ethics Committee to provide competent support. Mostly, nurses feared it might have no influence on clinical practice. Findings suggest that experiences of ethical conflicts might reflect interprofessional communication patterns. Expectations and objections against Clinical Ethics Committees were multifaceted, and should be overcome by providing sufficient information. The Clinical Ethics Committee needs to take different perspectives of professions into account.

  3. Ethical Decision-Making for Homeland Security

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-09-01

    how the universal laws of an ideal state could reconcile the interests of both individuals and groups . Cohen’s emphasis on the universal character...unethical decision as an ethical one . Excellence was another personal trait, listed 12 times in the surveyed group . This is another good quality for...and improve the ethical climate of leadership and groups . A booklet or field guide for employees on ethics would be a good opportunity for the

  4. The Ethics of Quantification and Why It Doesn't Work; or Life among the Numerologists, Inumerates, and Qualitatives.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sax, Gilbert

    The paper states that quantification is neither ethical nor unethical, but is ethically neutral. It is the behavior or intent of the human being that is clearly a matter of ethical concern. Like numerology and the sects of inumerates and qualitatives, there is not so much an unethical practice that is supported as there is a lack of vision and…

  5. Research Ethics: Institutional Review Board Oversight of Art Therapy Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Deaver, Sarah P.

    2011-01-01

    By having their research proposals reviewed and approved by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), art therapists meet important ethical principles regarding responsibility to research participants. This article provides an overview of the history of human subjects protections in the United States; underlying ethical principles and their application…

  6. Raising the Bar: Ethics Education for Quality Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boon, Helen

    2011-01-01

    Since the 1970s an "ethics boom" has occurred to counter the disappearance of ethics education from tertiary institutions. This "boom" appears to be absent from teacher education programs in Australia and the United States. Given persistent calls to enhance teacher quality this is problematic because quality teaching is…

  7. 5 CFR 2635.702 - Use of public office for private gain.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    .... 2635.702 Section 2635.702 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS GOVERNMENT ETHICS STANDARDS OF ETHICAL CONDUCT FOR EMPLOYEES OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH Misuse of Position § 2635.702 Use of... Spanish officials and explain the advantages of procurement from the United States company. Example 3: The...

  8. Protestant Ethic Endorsement, Personality, and General Intelligence

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Christopher, Andrew N.; Furnham, Adrian; Batey, Mark; Martin, G. Neil; Koenig, Cynthia S.; Doty, Kristin

    2010-01-01

    To learn if Protestant ethic endorsement predicted intelligence controlling for the big five personality factors, 364 college students from England and the United States completed a 65-item multifaceted work ethic endorsement measure, the 50-item Wonderlic Personnel Test, and a 60-item measure of the big five personality factors. A hierarchical…

  9. Teaching Medical Ethics in its Contexts: Penn State College of Medicine.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barnard, David; Clouser, K. Danner

    1989-01-01

    The medical school's ethics program evolved through cooperation with the humanities department. Key aspects of the program include the teaching of medical ethics in the context of other issues of value and meaning in medicine, and involvement of humanities faculty in the medical center. (Author/MSE)

  10. Ethical and Legal Responsibilities of Counselors.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Glennen, Robert E.

    In the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, each profession is reviewing its ethical practices. This paper assists in this renewal by citing the code of ethical standards of APGA; reviewing the laws of the State of Nevada regarding privileged communications; and covering the legal aspects which relate to counseling situations. (Author)

  11. 77 FR 67063 - VA Directive 0005 on Scientific Integrity

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-11-08

    ... policies that: Foster a culture of transparency, integrity, and ethical behavior in the development and... provided to the VA's Office of Inspector General (OIG), the Office of Government Ethics, and Congress. VA...: VA has amended Directive 0005, ] 5.b., to state that ``VA policy provides an ethical and accountable...

  12. Skills for Ethical Action: A Rationale.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chapman, Marian L.; Davis, Florence V.

    This paper presents an overview of the philosophical/historical background of moral education in the United States and describes an instructional program developed to teach junior high school students a behavioral strategy for acting ethically. Entitled "Skills for Ethical Action," (SEA), this program was devised in the 1970's to help…

  13. Developing and Designing Online Engineering Ethics Instruction for International Graduate Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Austin, Katherine A.; Gorsuch, Greta J.; Lawson, William D.; Newberry, Byron P.

    2011-01-01

    The present project embarked on an educational intervention, consisting of a series of online ethics learning modules, to aid international graduate students in overcoming the acculturation barriers to understanding and inculcating normative ethical obligations associated with engineering practice and research in the United States. A fundamental…

  14. Cosmopolitanism and foreign policy for health: ethics for and beyond the state

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Foreign policy holds great potential to improve the health of a global citizenship. Our contemporary political order is, in part, characterized by sovereign states acting either in opposition or cooperation with other sovereign states. This order is also characterized by transnational efforts to address transnational issues such as those featured so prominently in the area of global health, such as the spread of infectious disease, health worker migration and the movement of health-harming products. These two features of the current order understandably create tension for truly global initiatives. Discussion National security has become the dominant ethical frame underlying the health-based foreign policy of many states, despite the transnational nature of many contemporary health challenges. This ethical approach engages global health as a means to achieving national security objectives. Implicit in this ethical frame is the version of humanity that dichotomizes between “us” and “them”. What has been left out of this discourse, for the most part, is the role that foreign policy can play in extending the responsibility of states to protect and promote health of the other, for the sake of the other. Summary The principal purpose of this paper is to review arguments for a cosmopolitan ethics of health-based foreign policy. I will argue that health-based foreign policy that is motivated by security interests is lacking both morally and practically to further global health goals. In other words, a cosmopolitan ethic is not only intrinsically superior as a moral ideal, but also has potential to contribute to utilitarian ends. This paper draws on the cosmopolitanism literature to build robust support for foreign policies that contribute to sustainable systems of global health governance. PMID:23829176

  15. Neuroscience, ethics, and national security: the state of the art.

    PubMed

    Tennison, Michael N; Moreno, Jonathan D

    2012-01-01

    National security organizations in the United States, including the armed services and the intelligence community, have developed a close relationship with the scientific establishment. The latest technology often fuels warfighting and counter-intelligence capacities, providing the tactical advantages thought necessary to maintain geopolitical dominance and national security. Neuroscience has emerged as a prominent focus within this milieu, annually receiving hundreds of millions of Department of Defense dollars. Its role in national security operations raises ethical issues that need to be addressed to ensure the pragmatic synthesis of ethical accountability and national security.

  16. Ethics and Childhood Vaccination Policy in the United States

    PubMed Central

    Sturm, Lynne A.; Zimet, Gregory D.; Meslin, Eric M.

    2016-01-01

    Childhood immunization involves a balance between parents’ autonomy in deciding whether to immunize their children and the benefits to public health from mandating vaccines. Ethical concerns about pediatric vaccination span several public health domains, including those of policymakers, clinicians, and other professionals. In light of ongoing developments and debates, we discuss several key ethical issues concerning childhood immunization in the United States and describe how they affect policy development and clinical practice. We focus on ethical considerations pertaining to herd immunity as a community good, vaccine communication, dismissal of vaccine-refusing families from practice, and vaccine mandates. Clinicians and policymakers need to consider the nature and timing of vaccine-related discussions and invoke deliberative approaches to policymaking. PMID:26691123

  17. Navigating the Legal and Ethical World of Overseas Contracts.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Skinner, Karla Jo

    1998-01-01

    Referring to Iowa contract law, reviews ethical and legal aspects of overseas employment contracts signed by educators at recruitment fairs. Iowa Department of Education guidelines state the following aspects of a good contract: it is in writing; it states the salary, pay periods, benefits, and dates of employment; it lists special conditions and…

  18. Ethical Behavior and Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior Applied to the Decision to Obtain Professional Credentials

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-03-26

    ETHICAL BEHAVIOR AND AJZEN’S THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOR APPLIED TO THE DECISION TO OBTAIN...copyright protection in the United States. AFIT-ENV-15-M-191 ETHICAL BEHAVIOR AND AJZEN’S THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOR APPLIED TO THE DECISION TO...APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE; DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED. AFIT-ENV-15-M-191 ETHICAL BEHAVIOR AND AJZEN’S THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOR APPLIED TO THE DECISION

  19. Developing Army Civilian Strategic Leaders for the 21st Century

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-03-01

    paper explaining two different, albeit there are more, ethical reasoning processes. The first was the deontological view of ethics or better known...inherent merit and regardless of their outcome. 56 He goes on to state, “The deontological view of ethics holds that there is right and wrong...59 With these two broad categories, the deontological and teleological views of ethics capture the two broad influences on us as we endeavor to make

  20. Predictors for reimbursement of oncology drugs in Belgium between 2002 and 2013.

    PubMed

    Pauwels, Kim; Huys, Isabelle; De Nys, Katelijne; Casteels, Minne; Simoens, Steven

    2015-01-01

    Price setting and reimbursement decisions regarding drugs are competence of individual member states in Europe. These decisions involve important trade-offs between social, ethical, clinical and economic criteria. The aim of this study was to investigate the relative importance of criteria for reimbursement of oncology drugs in Belgium. Reimbursement dossiers on oncology drugs for which reimbursement was applied between 2002 and 2013 were consulted. Multivariate logistic regression was performed. Results showed that clinical evidence and presence of alternative treatments have a significant impact on the reimbursement decisions. Evidence-based medicine still plays a role in Belgian reimbursement decision-making. In order to allow transition towards value-based medicine and avoid spending money on products with limited incremental benefit, therapeutic need at patient level need to be taken into account.

  1. An Integral Approach to Counseling Ethics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Foster, Durwin; Black, Timothy G.

    2007-01-01

    The authors offer an integral approach to counseling ethics using K. Wilber's (2000a, 2000b) integral metatheory. The article examines traditional counseling ethics through the lens of K. Wilber's (2000a, 2000b) "all-quadrants, all-levels" model, consisting of quadrants, levels, lines, states, and types. The authors begin with the 4 quadrants and…

  2. Ethical Issues in the Use of Humans for Research.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bashaw, W. L.

    The APA Ethical Principles, the University of Georgia policy, standard research texts, and research literature on specific methodologies, all in relation to ethical issues in human research, are discussed. The 10 APA principles state, in essence, that the investigator is responsible for what happens, that confidentiality and the protection of the…

  3. Faculty's Perceptions of Teaching Ethics and Leadership in Engineering Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    AlSagheer, Abdullah; Al-Sagheer, Areej

    2011-01-01

    This paper addressed the faculty's perception of engineering ethics and leadership training. The study looks into the present state of and methodologies for teaching engineering ethics and leadership and aims to determine the faculty's perception of an identified gap in this aspect of engineering education. Engineering education has strong ethics…

  4. [Some ethical aspects of donation and transplantation].

    PubMed

    Martínez, K

    2006-01-01

    Ethical and legal consensus in our country bases the practice of donations and transplants on different ethical principles, which are contained in the legislation, closely conforming to the four principles of principialist bioethics: autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. The level of donations achieved in our milieu might, in fact, be related to a strict respect for these principles by the health professionals, as well as to the excellent organisation of the transplant world. Many scientific, technical and ethical challenges have had to be met to reach the present state of the transplant. And there are many current challenges. The article only analyses some of these due to their technical, ethical and social repercussions: organ transplants involving a live donor, the public request for organs, the organ market, the transplant of non-vital organs (basically the face transplant), the use of stem cells and the banks of umbilical cord cells. The aim of the article is to state the ethical problems raised by these new practices, in order to lay the foundations for a moral deliberation that must necessarily involve the whole of society.

  5. Contracts to devolve health services in fragile states and developing countries: do ethics matter?

    PubMed

    Jayasinghe, S

    2009-09-01

    Fragile states and developing countries increasingly contract out health services to non-state providers (NSPs) (such as non-governmental organisations, voluntary sector and private sector). The paper identifies ethical issues when contracts involve devolution of health services to NSPs and proposes procedures to prevent or resolve these ethical dilemmas. Ethical issues were identified by examining processes of contracting out. Health needs could be used to select areas to be contracted out and to identify service needs. Health needs comprise "disease-burden-related needs", "health-service needs", and "urgency of health-service needs". The mix of services should include an analysis of cost-effectiveness. NSPs should be selected fairly, without bias, and conflicts of interest during their work must be avoided. The population's views must be respected and accountability structures established. Devolved health services should ensure equity of access to healthcare. The services ought to be sustainable and evaluated objectively. Of these issues, conflicts of interest among NSPs and sustainability of health services have not attracted attention in the literature on ethics of health policy. Fair procedures could address these ethical issues-for example, public consultation on issues; decisions based on the public consultation and made on evidence; principles of decisions stated and reasonable; decisions given adequate publicity; a mechanism established to challenge decisions; assurance that mechanisms meet the above conditions; and regular review of the policies. These procedures are complemented by improving self-governance of NSPs, countries' development of guidelines for devolving health services, and measures to educate the public of the client countries on these issues.

  6. When patients are harmed, but are not wronged: ethics, law, and history.

    PubMed

    Klaas, Paul B; Berge, Keith H; Klaas, Kelsey M; Klaas, James P; Larson, Annalise Noelle

    2014-09-01

    Iatrogenic injury-injury caused unintentionally by medical treatment-breaks the oldest and most famous rule of medical ethics: primum non nocere, or above all, do no harm. Medical malpractice law, however, focuses on whether an injury was caused by negligence, not on whether an injury was iatrogenic. Iatrogenic injury inflicted without negligence is a common pattern in medical malpractice lawsuits; it is likely the pattern of Jacobs v Cross (Minnesota, 1872), in which Dr W. W. Mayo testified as an expert witness. As a matter of law, the doctor defendants should win all those lawsuits, for iatrogenic injury inflicted without negligence is not a legal wrong in the United States and has not been considered a legal wrong for hundreds of years. However, the medical ethics applicable to doctors' duties to report incompetence in colleagues, including those who inflict excessive iatrogenic injury, have developed dramatically over time. In 1872, the ethical codes in the United States exhorted doctors not to criticize another doctor, even if incompetent. Today, doctors in the United States are ethically required to report an incompetent colleague. Copyright © 2014 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Ethical androcentrism and maternal substance addiction.

    PubMed

    Parks, J A

    1999-01-01

    In this paper, I argue that bioethics suffers from a masculinist approach--what I call "ethical androcentrism." Despite the genesis of other legitimate approaches to ethics (such as feminist, narrative, and communicative ethics), this masculinist tradition persists. The first part of my paper concerns the problem of ethical androcentrism, and how it is manifest in our typical ways of "doing" bioethics (as teachers, ethicists, policymakers, and medical practitioners). After arguing that bioethics suffers from a masculinist ethic, I consider the case of maternal substance addiction to show how this ethic negatively affects the treatment of pregnant addicts. I argue that by treatment maternal substance addiction from an androcentric approach, we fail to serve both pregnant addicts and their fetuses; furthermore, we misrepresent the intentional state of pregnant substance addicts and label them "prenatal abusers." If maternal substance addiction is to be ethically addressed--and if pregnant substance addicts are to be effectively treated--we cannot tacitly accept an androcentric ethic.

  8. The Medical Ethics Curriculum in Medical Schools: Present and Future.

    PubMed

    Giubilini, Alberto; Milnes, Sharyn; Savulescu, Julian

    2016-01-01

    In this review article we describe the current scope, methods, and contents of medical ethics education in medical schools in Western English speaking countries (mainly the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia). We assess the strengths and weaknesses of current medical ethics curricula, and students' levels of satisfaction with different teaching approaches and their reported difficulties in learning medical ethics concepts and applying them in clinical practice. We identify three main challenges for medical ethics education: counteracting the bad effects of the "hidden curriculum," teaching students how to apply ethical knowledge and critical thinking to real cases in clinical practice, and shaping future doctors' right character through ethics education. We suggest ways in which these challenges could be addressed. On the basis of this analysis, we propose practical guidelines for designing, implementing, teaching, and assessing a medical ethics program within a four-year medical course. Copyright 2016 The Journal of Clinical Ethics. All rights reserved.

  9. A Systematic Literature Review of US Engineering Ethics Interventions.

    PubMed

    Hess, Justin L; Fore, Grant

    2018-04-01

    Promoting the ethical formation of engineering students through the cultivation of their discipline-specific knowledge, sensitivity, imagination, and reasoning skills has become a goal for many engineering education programs throughout the United States. However, there is neither a consensus throughout the engineering education community regarding which strategies are most effective towards which ends, nor which ends are most important. This study provides an overview of engineering ethics interventions within the U.S. through the systematic analysis of articles that featured ethical interventions in engineering, published in select peer-reviewed journals, and published between 2000 and 2015. As a core criterion, each journal article reviewed must have provided an overview of the course as well as how the authors evaluated course-learning goals. In sum, 26 articles were analyzed with a coding scheme that included 56 binary items. The results indicate that the most common methods for integrating ethics into engineering involved exposing students to codes/standards, utilizing case studies, and discussion activities. Nearly half of the articles had students engage with ethical heuristics or philosophical ethics. Following the presentation of the results, this study describes in detail four articles to highlight less common but intriguing pedagogical methods and evaluation techniques. The findings indicate that there is limited empirical work on ethics education within engineering across the United States. Furthermore, due to the large variation in goals, approaches, and evaluation methods described across interventions, this study does not detail "best" practices for integrating ethics into engineering. The science and engineering education community should continue exploring the relative merits of different approaches to ethics education in engineering.

  10. Protection of health research participants in the United States: a review of two cases.

    PubMed

    Douglass, Alison; Crampton, Peter

    2004-06-01

    Two research-related deaths and controversies in the United States during recent years have raised public concern over the safety of research participants. This paper explores the reasons why, in two studies, there was a failure of ethical oversight. The issues exposed by these failures have international relevance as they could possibly occur anywhere where human health research is carried out. Five factors that contributed to these failures are highlighted: 1. failure to support and resource research ethics committees; 2. failure of the research oversight process to adequately assess the risks and benefits of research, while giving undue emphasis to informed consent; 3. conflicts of interest arising from financial relationships and research ethics committee membership; 4. lack of consistent oversight of privately funded research; and 5. incompetent or intentional failure to adhere by ethical guidelines. There is considerable headway to be made in the United States, as in other countries, in the fostering and maintenance of robust systems of human research oversight.

  11. Does Ethics Education Influence the Moral Action of Practicing Nurses and Social Workers?

    PubMed Central

    Grady, Christine; Danis, Marion; Soeken, Karen L.; O’Donnell, Patricia; Taylor, Carol; Farrar, Adrienne; Ulrich, Connie M.

    2009-01-01

    Purpose/methods This study investigated the relationship between ethics education and training, and the use and usefulness of ethics resources, confidence in moral decisions, and moral action/activism through a survey of practicing nurses and social workers from four United States (US) census regions. Findings The sample (n = 1215) was primarily Caucasian (83%), female (85%), well educated (57% with a master’s degree). no ethics education at all was reported by 14% of study participants (8% of social workers had no ethics education, versus 23% of nurses), and only 57% of participants had ethics education in their professional educational program. Those with both professional ethics education and in-service or continuing education were more confident in their moral judgments and more likely to use ethics resources and to take moral action. Social workers had more overall education, more ethics education, and higher confidence and moral action scores, and were more likely to use ethics resources than nurses. Conclusion Ethics education has a significant positive influence on moral confidence, moral action, and use of ethics resources by nurses and social workers. PMID:18576241

  12. The essential role of medical ethics education in achieving professionalism: the Romanell Report.

    PubMed

    Carrese, Joseph A; Malek, Janet; Watson, Katie; Lehmann, Lisa Soleymani; Green, Michael J; McCullough, Laurence B; Geller, Gail; Braddock, Clarence H; Doukas, David J

    2015-06-01

    This article-the Romanell Report-offers an analysis of the current state of medical ethics education in the United States, focusing in particular on its essential role in cultivating professionalism among medical learners. Education in ethics has become an integral part of medical education and training over the past three decades and has received particular attention in recent years because of the increasing emphasis placed on professional formation by accrediting bodies such as the Liaison Committee on Medical Education and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Yet, despite the development of standards, milestones, and competencies related to professionalism, there is no consensus about the specific goals of medical ethics education, the essential knowledge and skills expected of learners, the best pedagogical methods and processes for implementation, and optimal strategies for assessment. Moreover, the quality, extent, and focus of medical ethics instruction vary, particularly at the graduate medical education level. Although variation in methods of instruction and assessment may be appropriate, ultimately medical ethics education must address the overarching articulated expectations of the major accrediting organizations. With the aim of aiding medical ethics educators in meeting these expectations, the Romanell Report describes current practices in ethics education and offers guidance in several areas: educational goals and objectives, teaching methods, assessment strategies, and other challenges and opportunities (including course structure and faculty development). The report concludes by proposing an agenda for future research.

  13. Neuroscience, Ethics, and National Security: The State of the Art

    PubMed Central

    Tennison, Michael N.; Moreno, Jonathan D.

    2012-01-01

    National security organizations in the United States, including the armed services and the intelligence community, have developed a close relationship with the scientific establishment. The latest technology often fuels warfighting and counter-intelligence capacities, providing the tactical advantages thought necessary to maintain geopolitical dominance and national security. Neuroscience has emerged as a prominent focus within this milieu, annually receiving hundreds of millions of Department of Defense dollars. Its role in national security operations raises ethical issues that need to be addressed to ensure the pragmatic synthesis of ethical accountability and national security. PMID:22448146

  14. [Ethics of research in psychiatry. Comparison of France and the United States].

    PubMed

    Lemoine, P; Pacault-Legendre, V

    1983-01-01

    This article presents a comparison of research ethics in psychopharmacology in France and the United States. The authors present some elements of definition, etymology and of history. In addition, they study how this very specific research is actually done. Many questions are discussed, including the right of the patient, and the problem of normal volunteers. Other aspects are more technical i.e. remuneration, protocol, and the product. Finally the role of the ethics committees is investigated. These committees comprise the third component of the trial that consists of the research and the subject.

  15. Finding Common Ground: Environmental Ethics, Social Justice, and a Sustainable Path for Nature-Based Health Promotion.

    PubMed

    Jennings, Viniece; Yun, Jessica; Larson, Lincoln

    2016-08-25

    Decades of research have documented continuous tension between anthropocentric needs and the environment's capacity to accommodate those needs and support basic human welfare. The way in which society perceives, manages, and ultimately utilizes natural resources can be influenced by underlying environmental ethics, or the moral relationship that humans share with the natural world. This discourse often centers on the complex interplay between the tangible and intangible benefits associated with nonhuman nature (e.g., green space), both of which are relevant to public health. When ecosystem degradation is coupled with socio-demographic transitions, additional concerns related to distributional equity and justice can arise. In this commentary, we explore how environmental ethics can inform the connection between the ecosystem services from green space and socially just strategies of health promotion.

  16. Finding Common Ground: Environmental Ethics, Social Justice, and a Sustainable Path for Nature-Based Health Promotion

    PubMed Central

    Jennings, Viniece; Yun, Jessica; Larson, Lincoln

    2016-01-01

    Decades of research have documented continuous tension between anthropocentric needs and the environment’s capacity to accommodate those needs and support basic human welfare. The way in which society perceives, manages, and ultimately utilizes natural resources can be influenced by underlying environmental ethics, or the moral relationship that humans share with the natural world. This discourse often centers on the complex interplay between the tangible and intangible benefits associated with nonhuman nature (e.g., green space), both of which are relevant to public health. When ecosystem degradation is coupled with socio-demographic transitions, additional concerns related to distributional equity and justice can arise. In this commentary, we explore how environmental ethics can inform the connection between the ecosystem services from green space and socially just strategies of health promotion. PMID:27571114

  17. Ethical and methodological issues in research with Sami experiencing disability.

    PubMed

    Melbøe, Line; Hansen, Ketil Lenert; Johnsen, Bjørn-Eirik; Fedreheim, Gunn Elin; Dinesen, Tone; Minde, Gunn-Tove; Rustad, Marit

    2016-01-01

    A study of disability among the indigenous Sami people in Norway presented a number of ethical and methodological challenges rarely addressed in the literature. The main study was designed to examine and understand the everyday life, transitions between life stages and democratic participation of Norwegian Sami people experiencing disability. Hence, the purpose of this article is to increase the understanding of possible ethical and methodological issues in research within this field. The article describes and discusses ethical and methodological issues that arose when conducting our study and identifies some strategies for addressing issues like these. The ethical and methodological issues addressed in the article are based on a qualitative study among indigenous Norwegian Sami people experiencing disability. The data in this study were collected through 31 semi-structured in-depth interviews with altogether 24 Sami people experiencing disability and 13 next of kin of Sami people experiencing disability (8 mothers, 2 fathers, 2 sister and 1 guardian). The researchers identified 4 main areas of ethical and methodological issues. We present these issues chronologically as they emerged in the research process: 1) concept of knowledge when designing the study, 2) gaining access, 3) data collection and 4) analysis and accountability. The knowledge generated from this study has the potential to benefit future health research, specifically of Norwegian Sami people experiencing disability, as well as health research concerning indigenous people in general, providing scientific-based insight into important ethical and methodological issues in research with indigenous people experiencing disability.

  18. The effects of low doses of ionizing radiation - A question of ethics

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tschaeche, A.N.

    1996-12-31

    Three ethical questions are asked and answered about the current state of affairs concerning how those in power manipulate public understanding of the effects of low doses of ionizing radiation. The questions are as follows: (1) Is it ethical to frighten people when you do not know that there is anything to be frightened of? (2) Is it ethical to be so conservative that resources are spent to solve a problem that may not exist? (3) Is it ethical not to tell the whole truth about the effects of low levels of ionizing radiation?

  19. Blind ethics: Closing one's eyes polarizes moral judgments and discourages dishonest behavior.

    PubMed

    Caruso, Eugene M; Gino, Francesca

    2011-02-01

    Four experiments demonstrate that closing one's eyes affects ethical judgment and behavior because it induces people to mentally simulate events more extensively. People who considered situations with their eyes closed rather than open judged immoral behaviors as more unethical and moral behaviors as more ethical. In addition, considering potential decisions with closed eyes decreased stated intentions to behave ethically and actual self-interested behavior. This relationship was mediated by the more extensive mental simulation that occurred with eyes closed rather than open, which, in turn, intensified emotional reactions to the ethical situation. We discuss the implications of these findings for moral psychology and ethical decision making. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Decoupling Policy and Practice: How Life Scientists Respond to Ethics Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith-Doerr, Laurel

    2008-01-01

    Many graduate programmes in science now require courses in ethics. However, little is known about their reception or use. Using websites and interviews, this essay examines ethics requirements in the field of biosciences in three countries (the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Italy) between 2000 and 2005. Evidence suggests that…

  1. Ethics and Education Forty Years Later

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Warnick, Bryan R.

    2007-01-01

    R.S. Peters's 1966 book "Ethics and Education" is one of the most significant works in twentieth-century philosophy of education. At least in the United States, however, it is now rarely read or discussed. In this essay, Bryan Warnick looks at the virtues and vices of "Ethics and Education," examining some major criticisms of the book in light of…

  2. Ethical Sensitivity of College Students in a Developing Country: Do Demographic Factors Matter?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ozdogan, F. Bahar; Eser, Zeliha

    2007-01-01

    This study investigates whether college students' ethical sensitivity and preferences for inclusion of ethics courses in their curriculum vary by their demographic characteristics such as gender, age, family income, and school status as to college major, grade and school ownership (state/private). Findings are based on responses to a 54-item…

  3. Teaching Communication Ethics and Diversity: Using Technology and Community Engagement to Enhance Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Swenson-Lepper, Tammy

    2012-01-01

    The workforce in the United States is becoming more diverse. To help students prepare to work and live in a diverse society, the author developed a lower-division course called "Communication Ethics and Diversity." After this course, students should be able to: (1) define diversity and communication ethics; (2) understand a variety of…

  4. Pedagogical Ethics: A Review of the Literature for Public Relations and Advertising.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harrison, Stanley L.

    Ethics is of increasing concern to United States colleges and universities, according to a survey of 183 institutions on this issue focusing on two areas--public relations and advertising. A 75% return from 134 institutions disclosed that some 25% offer an ethics course but less than half require one. Overwhelmingly (93%), most respondents…

  5. Historical Roots and Future Perspectives Related to Nursing Ethics.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Freitas, Lorraine

    1990-01-01

    This article traces the evolution of the development and refinement of the professional code from concerns about the ethical conduct of nurses to its present state as a professional code for all nurses. The relationship of the Ethics Committee of the American Nurses' Association to the development of the code is also discussed. (Author/MLW)

  6. Norms in Conflict: Statecraft, Preventive Force, and Counter Proliferation

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-12-01

    power. Finally, the ethical character of norms offers a framework for the attacking state to justify its actions to the international community ...national identity, sanctions, and ethics play in counter-proliferation strategies. Finally, it concludes by offering policy recommendations for...role that national identity, sanctions, and ethics play in counter-proliferation strategies. Finally, it concludes by offering policy

  7. National Differences in Requirements for Ethical and Competent Authority Approval for a Multinational Vaccine Trial under the EU Directive 2001/20/EC

    PubMed Central

    van Doorn, Eva; Hak, Eelko; Wilffert, Bob

    2015-01-01

    Obtaining approval for a multinational vaccine trial from an ethics committee and the national competent authority of different Member States of the European Union (EU) is challenging under clinical trial Directive 2001/20/EC because of the differences in the implementation of the directive in national laws of Member States. In this review the national differences in requirements for ethical and competent authority approval are illustrated. The national ethical and competent authority review procedures in Finland, Hungary, The Netherlands, Norway and Slovenia are described under the EU trial directive after discussing the provisions of the trial directive related to both review procedures. The review illustrates the differences between the countries in the documents that have to be submitted for the review procedures, the submission procedures and the language requirements of the documents, the organization of the ethics committees and the role of the competent authority in the approval procedure. PMID:26343188

  8. National Differences in Requirements for Ethical and Competent Authority Approval for a Multinational Vaccine Trial under the EU Directive 2001/20/EC.

    PubMed

    van Doorn, Eva; Hak, Eelko; Wilffert, Bob

    2015-04-14

    Obtaining approval for a multinational vaccine trial from an ethics committee and the national competent authority of different Member States of the European Union (EU) is challenging under clinical trial Directive 2001/20/EC because of the differences in the implementation of the directive in national laws of Member States. In this review the national differences in requirements for ethical and competent authority approval are illustrated. The national ethical and competent authority review procedures in Finland, Hungary, The Netherlands, Norway and Slovenia are described under the EU trial directive after discussing the provisions of the trial directive related to both review procedures. The review illustrates the differences between the countries in the documents that have to be submitted for the review procedures, the submission procedures and the language requirements of the documents, the organization of the ethics committees and the role of the competent authority in the approval procedure.

  9. Moving It Along: A study of healthcare professionals' experience with ethics consultations.

    PubMed

    Crigger, Nancy; Fox, Maria; Rosell, Tarris; Rojjanasrirat, Wilaiporn

    2017-05-01

    Ethics consultation is the traditional way of resolving challenging ethical questions raised about patient care in the United States. Little research has been published on the resolution process used during ethics consultations and on how this experience affects healthcare professionals who participate in them. The purpose of this qualitative research was to uncover the basic process that occurs in consultation services through study of the perceptions of healthcare professionals. The researchers in this study used a constructivist grounded theory approach that represents how one group of professionals experienced ethics consultations in their hospital in the United States. The results were sufficient to develop an initial theory that has been named after the core concept: Moving It Along. Three process stages emerged from data interpretation: moral questioning, seeing the big picture, and coming together. It is hoped that this initial work stimulates additional research in describing and understanding the complex social process that occurs for healthcare professionals as they address the difficult moral issues that arise in clinical practice.

  10. Enzymatic Transition States, Transition-State Analogs, Dynamics, Thermodynamics, and Lifetimes

    PubMed Central

    Schramm, Vern L.

    2017-01-01

    Experimental analysis of enzymatic transition-state structures uses kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) to report on bonding and geometry differences between reactants and the transition state. Computational correlation of experimental values with chemical models permits three-dimensional geometric and electrostatic assignment of transition states formed at enzymatic catalytic sites. The combination of experimental and computational access to transition-state information permits (a) the design of transition-state analogs as powerful enzymatic inhibitors, (b) exploration of protein features linked to transition-state structure, (c) analysis of ensemble atomic motions involved in achieving the transition state, (d) transition-state lifetimes, and (e) separation of ground-state (Michaelis complexes) from transition-state effects. Transition-state analogs with picomolar dissociation constants have been achieved for several enzymatic targets. Transition states of closely related isozymes indicate that the protein’s dynamic architecture is linked to transition-state structure. Fast dynamic motions in catalytic sites are linked to transition-state generation. Enzymatic transition states have lifetimes of femtoseconds, the lifetime of bond vibrations. Binding isotope effects (BIEs) reveal relative reactant and transition-state analog binding distortion for comparison with actual transition states. PMID:21675920

  11. 5 CFR 7001.101 - General.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... Administrative Personnel UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE SUPPLEMENTAL STANDARDS OF ETHICAL CONDUCT FOR EMPLOYEES OF... regulations in this part supplement the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch... Service's Procurement Manual. ...

  12. MEDICAL ETHICS EDUCATION IN TURKEY; STATE OF PLAY AND CHALLENGES.

    PubMed

    Ekmekçi, Perihan Elif

    Medical ethics can be traced back to Hippocratic Oath in antiquity. Last decade witnessed improvements in science and technology which attracted attention to the ethical impacts of the innovations in medicine. The need to combine medical innovations with a preservation of human values and to cultivate ethical competencies required by professionalism conceived medical ethics education in various levels in medical schools. Despite the diversities regarding teaching hours, methodology and content of the courses, medical ethics became a fundamental part of medical education around the world. In Turkey medical ethics education is given both in undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The high increase in the number of medical schools and shortfall of instructors who have medical ethics as their primary academic focus creates a big challenge in medical ethics education in both levels. Currently there are 89 medical schools in Turkey and only six medical schools are giving postgraduate medical ethics education. In 2010 only 33 of all medical schools could establish a separate department dedicated to medical ethics. There are no medical ethics courses embedded in residency programs. The quality and standardization of undergraduate medical ethics education has started but there are no initiatives to do so in postgraduate level.

  13. Patchwork Plagiarism

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cooper, Janice

    2007-01-01

    In this Information Age, students produce research projects by piecing together passages quoted verbatim and stitched together with a few introductory or transitional words. They assemble research as patchwork quilts rather than weaving a fabric of new knowledge. This common practice raises ethical issues and poses new challenges for library media…

  14. Dentists versus auto mechanics: are there ethical differences?

    PubMed

    Riley, Crystal

    2013-01-01

    The different ethical perspectives of dentists and auto mechanics include primary concern, billing procedures, advertising, emergency care, the level of autonomy granted to their patients/ clients, the amount of disclosure given to their patients/clients, the ability to judge the work of others, and the freedom to pursue romantic relationships with their patients/clients. In analyzing these differences, one finds dentists to have much greater ethical obligations than auto mechanics. There are subtle differences between the ethical expectations of Canadian and United States dentists.

  15. Best practice & research in anaesthesiology issue on new approaches in clinical research ethics in clinical research.

    PubMed

    Schwenzer, Karen J

    2011-12-01

    The history of ethics in clinical research parallels the history of abuse of human beings. The Nuremberg Code, Declaration of Helsinki, and the Belmont Report laid the foundations for modern research ethics. In the United States, the OHRP and the FDA provide guidelines for the ethical conduct of research. Investigators should be familiar with regulations concerning informed consent, doing research in vulnerable populations, and protection of privacy. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Caring for the dying patient in the ICU--the past, the present and the future.

    PubMed

    Fridh, Isabell

    2014-12-01

    The aim of this paper is to present the state of the science concerning issues in end-of-life (EOL) care which have an impact on intensive care nurses possibilities to provide nursing care for dying patients and their families. The perspective of families is also illuminated and finally ethical challenges in the present and for the future are discussed. The literature review revealed that the problem areas nurses report concerning EOL care have been the same over three decades. Most problems are related to inter-disciplinary collaboration and communication with the medical profession about the transition from cure to comfort care. Nurses need enhanced communication skills in their role as the patient's advocate. Education in EOL care and a supportive environment are prerequisites for providing EOL care. Losing a loved one in the ICU is a stressful experience for close relatives and nursing care has a profound impact on families' memories of the EOL care given to their loved ones. It is therefore important that ICU nurses are aware of families' needs when a loved one is dying and that follow-up services are appreciated by bereaved family members. Ethical challenges are related to changed sedation practices, organ donation, globalisation and cultural sensitivity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Find a NCCAOM Certified Practitioner

    MedlinePlus

    ... Diplomate Fees Forms and Documents Publications Academy Website Ethics and Disciplinary Review Special Events Applicants Applicants Home ... Fees Forms and Documents ADA Accommodations State Licensure Ethics and Disciplinary Review Applicants Special Events PDA Providers ...

  18. Ethics consultation on demand: concepts, practical experiences and a case study.

    PubMed

    Reiter-Theil, S

    2000-06-01

    Despite the increasing interest in clinical ethics, ethics consultation as a professional service is still rare in Europe. In this paper I refer to examples in the United States. In Germany, university hospitals and medical faculties are still hesitant about establishing yet another "committee". One of the reasons for this hesitation lies in the ignorance that exists here about how to provide medical ethics services; another reason is that medical ethics itself is not yet institutionalised at many German universities. The most important obstacle, however, may be that medical ethics has not yet demonstrated its relevance to the needs of those caring for patients. The Centre for Ethics and Law, Freiburg, has therefore taken a different approach from that offered elsewhere: clinical ethics consultation is offered on demand, the consultation being available to clinician(s) in different forms. This paper describes our experiences with this approach; practical issues are illustrated by a case study.

  19. Electroshock Experiment at Albany Violates Ethics Guidelines

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, R. Jeffrey

    1977-01-01

    Reports the University of New York at Albany has been charged with violations of federal and state regulations for not obtaining approval of an ethics committee to conduct research on human subjects. (SL)

  20. The Terri Schiavo case: legal, ethical, and medical perspectives.

    PubMed

    Perry, Joshua E; Churchill, Larry R; Kirshner, Howard S

    2005-11-15

    Although tragic, the plight of Terri Schiavo provides a valuable case study. The conflicts and misunderstandings surrounding her situation offer important lessons in medicine, law, and ethics. Despite media saturation and intense public interest, widespread confusion lingers regarding the diagnosis of persistent vegetative state, the judicial processes involved, and the appropriateness of the ethical framework used by those entrusted with Terri Schiavo's care. First, the authors review the current medical understanding of persistent vegetative state, including the requirements for patient examination, the differential diagnosis, and the practice guidelines of the American Academy of Neurology regarding artificial nutrition and hydration for patients with this diagnosis. Second, they examine the legal history, including the 2000 trial, the 2002 evidentiary hearing, and the subsequent appeals. The authors argue that the law did not fail Terri Schiavo, but produced the highest-quality evidence and provided the most judicial review of any end-of-life guardianship case in U.S. history. Third, they review alternative ethical frameworks for understanding the Terri Schiavo case and contend that the principle of respect for autonomy is paramount in this case and in similar cases. Far from being unusual, the manner in which Terri Schiavo's case was reviewed and the basis for the decision reflect a broad medical, legal, and ethical consensus. Greater clarity regarding the persistent vegetative state, less apprehension of the presumed mysteries of legal proceedings, and greater appreciation of the ethical principles at work are the chief benefits obtained from studying this provocative case.

  1. More than the Beatles: The Legacy of a Decade for Community Psychology's Contributions to Evaluation Ethics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morris, Michael

    2015-01-01

    This essay explores the implications of the zeitgeist that emerged in the United States during the 1960s for the conceptualization of ethical issues in evaluation and community psychology, and how perspectives from the latter field might enhance ethical practice in the former. Special attention is paid to articulations of social justice,…

  2. Effects of Type A Personality and Leisure Ethic on Chinese College Students' Leisure Activities and Academic Performance.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tang, Thomas Li-Ping

    In an earlier laboratory experiment using university students in the United States, Tang and Baumeister (1984) examined the effects of the Leisure Ethic, Type A personality, and task labels on subjects' task performance. The results showed that the interaction between Leisure Ethic endorsement and task label was significant among Type A…

  3. Ethical Behavior and Human Development among Male and Female Graduate and Undergraduate College Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sottile, James M., Jr.; Brozik, Dallas

    The purpose of this research was to describe and better understand the ethical experiences of graduate and undergraduate, male and female college students attending a university in a rural location of a mid-eastern state. A survey was created to determine the ethical activities of college students. A total of 2,718 surveys were completed.…

  4. Novel Lessons on Behavioral Ethics from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Offstein, Evan H.; Dufresne, Ronald L.; Childers, J. Stephen, Jr.

    2017-01-01

    After a spate of business ethics crises over the past two decades, management educators were put on notice: considerably more was needed to improve the ethical grounding of our graduating students. Taking stock of our progress, we contend that management education remains well short of achieving this charge and cannot be content with the state of…

  5. The impact of ethics and work-related factors on nurse practitioners' and physician assistants' views on quality of primary healthcare in the United States

    PubMed Central

    Ulrich, Connie M.; Zhou, Qiuping (Pearl); Hanlon, Alexandra; Danis, Marion; Grady, Christine

    2016-01-01

    Purpose Nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) provide primary care services for many American patients. Ethical knowledge is foundational to resolving challenging practice issues, yet little is known about the importance of ethics and work-related factors in the delivery of quality care. The aim of this study was to quantitatively assess whether the quality of the care that practitioners deliver is influenced by ethics and work-related factors. Methods This paper is a secondary data analysis of a cross-sectional self-administered mailed survey of 1,371 primary care NPs and PAs randomly selected from primary care and primary care subspecialties in the United States. Results Ethics preparedness and confidence were significantly associated with perceived quality of care (p < 0.01) as were work-related characteristics such as percentage of patients with Medicare and Medicaid, patient demands, physician collegiality, and practice autonomy (p < 0.01). Forty-four percent of the variance in quality of care was explained by these factors. Conclusions Investing in ethics education and addressing restrictive practice environments may improve collaborative practice, teamwork, and quality of care. PMID:24613597

  6. The impact of ethics and work-related factors on nurse practitioners' and physician assistants' views on quality of primary healthcare in the United States.

    PubMed

    Ulrich, Connie M; Zhou, Qiuping Pearl; Hanlon, Alexandra; Danis, Marion; Grady, Christine

    2014-08-01

    Nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) provide primary care services for many American patients. Ethical knowledge is foundational to resolving challenging practice issues, yet little is known about the importance of ethics and work-related factors in the delivery of quality care. The aim of this study was to quantitatively assess whether the quality of the care that practitioners deliver is influenced by ethics and work-related factors. This paper is a secondary data analysis of a cross-sectional self-administered mailed survey of 1,371 primary care NPs and PAs randomly selected from primary care and primary care subspecialties in the United States. Ethics preparedness and confidence were significantly associated with perceived quality of care (p<0.01) as were work-related characteristics such as percentage of patients with Medicare and Medicaid, patient demands, physician collegiality, and practice autonomy (p<0.01). Forty-four percent of the variance in quality of care was explained by these factors. Investing in ethics education and addressing restrictive practice environments may improve collaborative practice, teamwork, and quality of care. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Ethical issues related to epilepsy care in the developing world.

    PubMed

    Tan, Chong-Tin; Avanzini, Giuliano

    2009-05-01

    There are three major issues of ethical concern related to epilepsy care in the developing world. First, is it ethical for a developing country to channel its limited resources from direct epilepsy care to research? The main considerations in addressing this question are the particular research questions to be addressed and whether such research will bring direct benefits to the local community. Second, in a country with limited resources, when does ignoring the high treatment gap become an ethical issue? This question is of particular concern when the community has enough resources to afford treatment for its poor, yet is not providing such care because of gross wastage and misallocation of the national resources. Third, do countries with plentiful resources have an ethical responsibility to help relieve the high epilepsy treatment gap of poor countries? Indeed, we believe that reasonable health care is a basic human right, and that human rights transcend national boundaries. Although health care is usually the responsibility of the nation-state, many modern states in the developing world are arbitrary creations of colonization. There is often a long process from the establishment of a political-legal state to a mature functional nation. During the long process of nation building, help from neighboring countries is often required.

  8. A Comparison of the Effects of Ethics Training on International and US Students.

    PubMed

    Steele, Logan M; Johnson, James F; Watts, Logan L; MacDougall, Alexandra E; Mumford, Michael D; Connelly, Shane; Lee Williams, T H

    2016-08-01

    As scientific and engineering efforts become increasingly global in nature, the need to understand differences in perceptions of research ethics issues across countries and cultures is imperative. However, investigations into the connection between nationality and ethical decision-making in the sciences have largely generated mixed results. In Study 1 of this paper, a measure of biases and compensatory strategies that could influence ethical decisions was administered. Results from this study indicated that graduate students from the United States and international graduate students studying in the US are prone to different biases. Based on these findings, recommendations are made for developing ethics education interventions to target these decision-making biases. In Study 2, we employed an ethics training intervention based on ethical sensemaking and used a well-established measure of ethical decision-making that more fully captures the content of ethical judgment. Similar to Study 1, the results obtained in this study suggest differences do exist between graduate students from the US and international graduate students in ethical decision-making prior to taking the research ethics training. However, similar effects were observed for both groups following the completion of the ethics training intervention.

  9. Psychiatric ethics in war and peace

    PubMed Central

    Raju, M. S. V. K.

    2013-01-01

    Practice of psychiatry is a complex activity because the psychiatrist generally practises his art in an emotionally charged environment with patients who may not be in a in a state of mind to exercise autonomy as a result of cognitive impairment and preoccupation with symptoms. No one principle of ethics will be suitable to guide right conduct in widely variable situations. Making ethical judgements in the military context can be difficult and may have potential for abuse as for an uniformed psychiatrist mission takes priority over man. However mission centered and medical text book centred ethics need not be compartamentalised. The present paper seeks to offer a brief overview of ethical principles and specific situations in which one may have to make ethical judgements. PMID:24459379

  10. On teaching computer ethics within a computer science department.

    PubMed

    Quinn, Michael J

    2006-04-01

    The author has surveyed a quarter of the accredited undergraduate computer science programs in the United States. More than half of these programs offer a 'social and ethical implications of computing' course taught by a computer science faculty member, and there appears to be a trend toward teaching ethics classes within computer science departments. Although the decision to create an 'in house' computer ethics course may sometimes be a pragmatic response to pressure from the accreditation agency, this paper argues that teaching ethics within a computer science department can provide students and faculty members with numerous benefits. The paper lists topics that can be covered in a computer ethics course and offers some practical suggestions for making the course successful.

  11. Poland: biomedical ethics in a socialist state.

    PubMed

    Szawarski, Zbigniew

    1987-06-01

    In one of a Hastings Center Report series of four country reports, a professor of ethics discusses the Polish approach to ethical issues in health care. Szawarski begins by outlining five factors that influence the practice of medicine in Poland: a socialist form of government, the influence of the Roman Catholic Church, an ongoing economic crisis, the legacy of the Nazi death camps, and a lack of formal instruction in biomedical ethics. He then discusses three current ethical concerns of physicians, patients, and the public: regulation of physician conduct, abortion, and in vitro fertilization. There is little formal public debate of the issues, however, and physicians seem committed to upholding traditional medical codes of ethics without analyzing underlying moral principles and justifications.

  12. The Earth Charter in Higher Education for Sustainability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Weakland, Joseph P.; Corcoran, Peter Blaze

    2009-01-01

    A central challenge of sustainable development is to provide material sufficiency for the human population while preserving the integrity of Earth's biosphere. Current modes of economic production and consumption accomplish neither of these ethical imperatives. Institutions of higher education must show leadership in the transition to sustainable…

  13. Academic Internationalism: U.S. Universities in Transition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stevens, Mitchell L.; Miller-Idriss, Cynthia

    2009-01-01

    Despite wide consensus among higher education leaders that U.S. universities are undergoing a process of "globalization," there is little agreement about just what globalization means, what propels it, or what intellectual, political, and ethical consequences it will bring for American higher education. There is little systematic…

  14. Heterogeneity of Human Research Ethics Committees and Research Governance Offices across Australia: An observational study.

    PubMed

    De Smit, Elisabeth; Kearns, Lisa S; Clarke, Linda; Dick, Jonathan; Hill, Catherine L; Hewitt, Alex W

    2016-01-01

    Conducting ethically grounded research is a fundamental facet of all investigations. Nevertheless, the administrative burdens of current ethics review are substantial, and calls have been made for a reduction in research waste. To describe the heterogeneity in administration and documentation required by Human Research Ethics Committees (HRECs) and Research Governance Offices (RGOs) across Australia. In establishing a nationwide study to investigate the molecular aetiology of Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA), for which archived pathological specimens from around Australia are being recruited, we identified variation across separate HREC and RGO requirements. Submission paperwork and correspondence from each collaborating site and its representative office for research were reviewed. This data was interrogated to evaluate differences in current guidelines. Twenty-five pathology departments across seven Australian States collaborated in this study. All states, except Victoria, employed a single ethics review model. There was discrepancy amongst HRECs as to which application process applied to our study: seven requested completion of a "National Ethics Application Form" and three a "Low Negligible Risk" form. Noticeable differences in guidelines included whether electronic submission was sufficient. There was variability in the total number of documents submitted (range five to 22) and panel review turnaround time (range nine to 136 days). We demonstrate the challenges and illustrate the heavy workload involved in receiving widespread ethics and governance approval across Australia. We highlight the need to simplify, homogenise, and nationalise human ethics for non-clinical trial studies. Reducing unnecessary administration will enable investigators to achieve research aims more efficiently.

  15. On using ethical theories to teach engineering ethics.

    PubMed

    Bouville, Mathieu

    2008-03-01

    Many engineering ethics classes and textbooks introduce theories such as utilitarianism and Kantianism (and most others draw from these theories without mentioning them explicitly). Yet using ethical theories to teach engineering ethics is not devoid of difficulty. First, their status is unclear (should one pick a single theory or use them all? does it make a difference?) Also, textbooks generally assume or fallaciously 'prove' that egoism (or even simply accounting for one's interests) is wrong. Further, the drawbacks of ethical theories are underestimated and the theories are also otherwise misrepresented to make them more suitable for engineering ethics as the authors construe it, viz. the 'moral reasoning' process. Stating in what various theories disagree would allow the students to frame the problem more productively in terms of motive-consequence or society-individual dichotomies rather than in terms of Kant-utilitarian.

  16. Introduction : The Fogarty International Research Ethics Education and Curriculum Development Program in Historical Context

    PubMed Central

    Millum, Joseph; Grady, Christine; Keusch, Gerald; Sina, Barbara

    2016-01-01

    In response to the increasing need for research ethics expertise in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the NIH’s Fogarty International Research Ethics Education and Curriculum Development Program has provided grants for the development of training programs in international research ethics for LMIC professionals since 2000. This collection of papers draws upon the combined expertise of Fogarty grantees, trainees, and other experts to assess the state of research ethics in LMICs, and the lessons learned over 12 years of international research ethics education; to assess future needs; and to chart a way forward to meet those needs. In this introductory paper we briefly sketch the evolution of research ethics as applied to LMIC research, the underpinning and evolution of the Fogarty bioethics program, and summarize key conclusions from the other papers in the collection. PMID:24384512

  17. Introduction: the Fogarty International Research Ethics Education and Curriculum Development Program in historical context.

    PubMed

    Millum, Joseph; Grady, Christine; Keusch, Gerald; Sina, Barbara

    2013-12-01

    In response to the increasing need for research ethics expertise in low and middle income countries (LMICs), the NIH's Fogarty International Research Ethics Education and Curriculum Development Program has provided grants for the development of training programs in international research ethics for LMIC professionals since 2000. This collection of papers draws upon the combined expertise of Fogarty grantees, trainees, and other experts to assess the state of research ethics in LMICs, and the lessons learned over 12 years of international research ethics education; to assess future needs; and to chart a way forward to meet those needs. In this introductory paper we briefly sketch the evolution of research ethics as applied to LMIC research, the underpinning and evolution of the Fogarty bioethics program, and summarize key conclusions from the other papers in the collection.

  18. Ethics Education in University Aviation Management Programs in the US. Part 1; The Need

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Oderman, Dale B.

    2002-01-01

    This three-part study examines how four-year universities in the United States with baccalaureate programs in aviation management include ethics instruction in their curricula. Based on a literature review, no research exists to describe the current status of teaching ethics to aviation students. Yet concurrently, unethical activities reported in the media involving the aviation industry indicates the need for such programs. Part One of this study justifies the need for ethics education and develops a series of hypotheses to evaluate the current status of ethics instruction, which was investigated and will be reported on in Parts Two and Three of this study, respectively.

  19. Mandatory counseling for gamete donation recipients: ethical dilemmas.

    PubMed

    Benward, Jean

    2015-09-01

    Mental health professionals have engaged in mandatory pretreatment counseling and assessment of patients seeking treatment at IVF programs in the United States since the 1980s. At present, most recipient patients undergoing IVF with egg or embryo donation in the United States are required to meet with a mental health professional for one pretreatment session. Mandatory counseling of gamete recipients is fraught with ethical questions for the mental health professional. Attention to issues of autonomy, confidentiality, role clarity, along with self-evaluation and openness with the patient can help lessen the impact of these ethical challenges. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Some ethical and psychiatric aspects of right-lobe liver transplantation in the United States and Japan.

    PubMed

    Surman, Owen S; Cosimi, A B; Fukunishi, Isao; Kawaii, Tatsuo; Findley, John; Kita, Yoshiaki; Makuuchi, Masatoshi

    2002-01-01

    Cadaver sources are insufficient for the increasing demand for liver transplantation. Right-lobe liver transplantation from living donors is fully developed in Japan and has been rapidly increasing in the United States during the past 2 years, although donor risk is greater than in other types of solid organ transplantation. The authors examine the psychiatric and ethical aspects of right-lobe liver transplantation in light of cultural differences between the United States and Japan.

  1. Against medical ethics: opening the can of worms.

    PubMed Central

    Cassell, J

    1998-01-01

    In a controversial paper, David Seedhouse argues that medical ethics is not and cannot be a distinct discipline with it own field of study. He derives this claim from a characterization of ethics, which he states but does not defend. He claims further that the project of medical ethics as it exists and of moral philosophy do not overlap. I show that Seedhouse's views on ethics have wide implications which he does not declare, and in the light of this argue that Seedhouse owes us a defence of his characterization of ethics. Further, I show that his characterization of ethics, which he uses to attack medical ethics, is a committed position within moral philosophy. As a consequence of this, it does not allow the relation between moral philosophy and medical ethics to be discussed without prejudice to its outcome. Finally, I explore the relation between Seedhouse's position and naturalism, and its implications for medical epistemology. I argue that this shows us that Seedhouse's position, if it can be defended, is likely to lead to a fruitful and important line of inquiry which reconnects philosophy and medical ethics. PMID:9549676

  2. From professional monopoly to corporate oligopoly:the clinical laboratory industry in transition.

    PubMed

    Bailey, R M

    1977-02-01

    Until the mid-1960s the nonhospital clinical laboratory industry was dominated by pathologists. The ethics of medical professionalism protected the pathologists' market from price competition and from any serious threat from new entrants into the market. Immune from the competitive pressures of the marketplace, pathologists exerted monopoly control in local markets. That power was eroded by laboratories operated by technologists and bioanalysts and was finally overcome by the entry of large corporations into the industry. The market power of the largest corporate laboratories is now growing to a point where competition may again be thwarted. The professional ethics of pathologists allowed high prices, but there was little push toward higher volume. The commercial ethics of the corporate entrants brought lower prices but resulted in strong pressure for greater test quantities. In either case, the power wielded by the dominant producer would seem to go against the consumer's interests.

  3. Nursing ethics: what lies ahead? The case of Bulgaria.

    PubMed

    Popova, S

    1996-03-01

    In Bulgaria, we are sharing a transition to a civic society and a market economy, which means transferring to new parameters of our culture. Many old customs based on coercion, obedience and unacceptable interference are gradually dying out, and new principles tend to shape the way we live our collective lives. These include the ethics of partnership, which tend to create an assertion of individual rights and an affirmation of free will and autonomy, and within which the individual is protected in the pursuit of personal judgements. It is remarkable, however, that we have so much difficulty in talking about and identifying the most beneficial approaches for the achievement of the new design of our society. In this paper, I propose to illustrate the current crisis in nursing ethics with information mainly from Bulgaria. However, I think that the problems and trends in the other Eastern European countries are similar.

  4. Multifunctional encoding system for assessment of movable cultural heritage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tornari, V.; Bernikola, E.; Osten, W.; Groves, R. M.; Marc, G.; Hustinx, G. M.; Kouloumpi, E.; Hackney, S.

    2007-07-01

    This is an introductory paper of a recent EC project dealing with research in cultural heritage and aiming to communicate new fields of application for optical metrology techniques. The project is in its initial state and more conclusive information is expected to be available at the time of the perspective conference. Nowadays safety, ethical, economical and security issues as well as the increase demand for loaning of art objects for exhibitions in transit, are forcing the Conservation Community to undertake strong initiatives and actions against various types of mistreatment, damage or fraud, during transportation of movable Cultural Heritage. Therefore the interest directs to the development of innovative methodologies and instrumentation to respond to critical aspects of increased importance in cultural heritage preservation, among which of prior consideration are: to secure proper treatment, assess probable damage, fight fraud actions in transportation.

  5. A Case of Attempted Suicide in Huntington's Disease: Ethical and Moral Considerations.

    PubMed

    Furfari, Kristin; Zehnder, Nichole; Abbott, Jean

    2016-01-01

    A 62-year-old female with Huntington's disease presented after a suicide attempt. Her advance directive stated that she did not want intubation or resuscitation, which her family acknowledged and supported. Despite these directives, she was resuscitated in the emergency department and continued to state that she would attempt suicide again. Her suicidality in the face of a chronic and advancing illness, and her prolonged consistency in her desire to take her own life, left careproviders wondering how to provide ethical, respectful care to this patient. Tension between the ethical principles of autonomy and beneficence is central in this case. The patient's narrative demonstrated that her suicide was an autonomous decision, free from coercion or disordered thinking from mental illness. Beneficence then would seem to necessitate care aligned with the patient's desire to end her life, which created ethical uneasiness for her family and careproviders. The case highlights several end-of-life ethical considerations that have received much recent attention. With ongoing discussions about the legalization of aid in dying across the country, caregivers are challenged to understand what beneficence means in people with terminal illnesses who want a say in their death. This case also highlights the profound moral distress of families and careproviders that arises in such ethically challenging scenarios. Copyright 2016 The Journal of Clinical Ethics. All rights reserved.

  6. The Migration toward Ethical Decision Making as a Core Course into the B-School: Instructional Strategies and Approaches for Consideration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nelson, Johnathan; Smith, Lola B.; Hunt, Clifford Steven

    2014-01-01

    Many academicians are asking the following question: "Are we ill-preparing our business students if we fail to offer future business professionals the opportunity to engage in a greater understanding of the ethical decision making process?" The authors provide a current review of the literature on the state of ethics education in…

  7. Inside the Black Box: Exploring the Metacognitive Strategies Used by Principals in Border Community Schools When Making Ethical Decisions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Faddis, Toni Osborn

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and describe the individual experiences of elementary principals' in Southern San Diego County when making ethical decisions that are unique to schools near the United States/Mexico border. Ethical decision-making, in this case, is the term used to depict an incident that calls for a…

  8. Mitochondrial Replacement Therapy: Halachic Considerations for Enrolling in an Experimental Clinical Trial

    PubMed Central

    Tendler, Rabbi Moshe D.; Loike, John D.

    2015-01-01

    The transition of new biotechnologies into clinical trials is a critical step in approving a new drug or therapy in health care. Ethically recruiting appropriate volunteers for these clinical trials can be a challenging task for both the pharmaceutical companies and the US Food and Drug Administration. In this paper we analyze the Jewish halachic perspectives of volunteering for clinical trials by focusing on an innovative technology in reproductive medicine, mitochondrial replacement therapy. The halachic perspective encourages individuals to volunteer for such clinical trials under the ethical principles of beneficence and social responsibility, when animal studies have shown that health risks are minimal. PMID:26241230

  9. Synthetic Biology and the Translational Imperative.

    PubMed

    Heidari Feidt, Raheleh; Ienca, Marcello; Elger, Bernice Simone; Folcher, Marc

    2017-12-18

    Advances at the interface between the biological sciences and engineering are giving rise to emerging research fields such as synthetic biology. Harnessing the potential of synthetic biology requires timely and adequate translation into clinical practice. However, the translational research enterprise is currently facing fundamental obstacles that slow down the transition of scientific discoveries from the laboratory to the patient bedside. These obstacles including scarce financial resources and deficiency of organizational and logistic settings are widely discussed as primary impediments to translational research. In addition, a number of socio-ethical considerations inherent in translational research need to be addressed. As the translational capacity of synthetic biology is tightly linked to its social acceptance and ethical approval, ethical limitations may-together with financial and organizational problems-be co-determinants of suboptimal translation. Therefore, an early assessment of such limitations will contribute to proactively favor successful translation and prevent the promising potential of synthetic biology from remaining under-expressed. Through the discussion of two case-specific inventions in synthetic biology and their associated ethical implications, we illustrate the socio-ethical challenges ahead in the process of implementing synthetic biology into clinical practice. Since reducing the translational lag is essential for delivering the benefits of basic biomedical research to society at large and promoting global health, we advocate a moral obligation to accelerating translational research: the "translational imperative."

  10. Ethical and methodological issues in research with Sami experiencing disability.

    PubMed

    Melbøe, Line; Hansen, Ketil Lenert; Johnsen, Bjørn-Eirik; Fedreheim, Gunn Elin; Dinesen, Tone; Minde, Gunn-Tove; Rustad, Marit

    2016-01-01

    Background A study of disability among the indigenous Sami people in Norway presented a number of ethical and methodological challenges rarely addressed in the literature. Objectives The main study was designed to examine and understand the everyday life, transitions between life stages and democratic participation of Norwegian Sami people experiencing disability. Hence, the purpose of this article is to increase the understanding of possible ethical and methodological issues in research within this field. The article describes and discusses ethical and methodological issues that arose when conducting our study and identifies some strategies for addressing issues like these. Methods The ethical and methodological issues addressed in the article are based on a qualitative study among indigenous Norwegian Sami people experiencing disability. The data in this study were collected through 31 semi-structured in-depth interviews with altogether 24 Sami people experiencing disability and 13 next of kin of Sami people experiencing disability (8 mothers, 2 fathers, 2 sister and 1 guardian). Findings and discussion The researchers identified 4 main areas of ethical and methodological issues. We present these issues chronologically as they emerged in the research process: 1) concept of knowledge when designing the study, 2) gaining access, 3) data collection and 4) analysis and accountability. Conclusion The knowledge generated from this study has the potential to benefit future health research, specifically of Norwegian Sami people experiencing disability, as well as health research concerning indigenous people in general, providing scientific-based insight into important ethical and methodological issues in research with indigenous people experiencing disability.

  11. Ethical and methodological issues in research with Sami experiencing disability

    PubMed Central

    Melbøe, Line; Hansen, Ketil Lenert; Johnsen, Bjørn-Eirik; Fedreheim, Gunn Elin; Dinesen, Tone; Minde, Gunn-Tove; Rustad, Marit

    2016-01-01

    Background A study of disability among the indigenous Sami people in Norway presented a number of ethical and methodological challenges rarely addressed in the literature. Objectives The main study was designed to examine and understand the everyday life, transitions between life stages and democratic participation of Norwegian Sami people experiencing disability. Hence, the purpose of this article is to increase the understanding of possible ethical and methodological issues in research within this field. The article describes and discusses ethical and methodological issues that arose when conducting our study and identifies some strategies for addressing issues like these. Methods The ethical and methodological issues addressed in the article are based on a qualitative study among indigenous Norwegian Sami people experiencing disability. The data in this study were collected through 31 semi-structured in-depth interviews with altogether 24 Sami people experiencing disability and 13 next of kin of Sami people experiencing disability (8 mothers, 2 fathers, 2 sister and 1 guardian). Findings and discussion The researchers identified 4 main areas of ethical and methodological issues. We present these issues chronologically as they emerged in the research process: 1) concept of knowledge when designing the study, 2) gaining access, 3) data collection and 4) analysis and accountability. Conclusion The knowledge generated from this study has the potential to benefit future health research, specifically of Norwegian Sami people experiencing disability, as well as health research concerning indigenous people in general, providing scientific-based insight into important ethical and methodological issues in research with indigenous people experiencing disability. PMID:27396747

  12. Ethical issues in the evaluation and treatment of death row inmates.

    PubMed

    Matthews, Daryl; Wendler, Sheila

    2006-09-01

    To summarize recent ethical analyses of psychiatrists' participation in the evaluation and treatment of death row inmates. Psychiatric participation in death penalty cases remains highly controversial in the United States, whereas there appears to be a more worldwide consensus that it is ethically inappropriate. Psychiatrists working in death penalty settings are functioning in a complex ethical arena, and must consider the implications of their decisions to participate and/or abstain from various activities with great care and attention to the circumstances of the individual cases at hand.

  13. Researching with Families: Ethical Issues and Situations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dockett, Sue; Perry, Bob; Kearney, Emma; Hampshire, Anne; Mason, Jan; Schmied, Virginia

    2009-01-01

    This article draws on an Australian project engaging with families with complex support needs as their children start school. The project itself is focused on developing collaborative research relationships between families, community support agencies and researchers with the aim of investigating what happens for families during the transition to…

  14. Quality of Life for Individuals with Disabilities: A Conceptual Framework.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marinoble, Rita; Hegenauer, Judy

    One of the desired outcomes of transition planning for students with disabilities is to enable the students to lead a quality adult life. This report contains a literature review which outlines recent approaches to addressing quality of life issues, including conceptualizations, methodologies, and ethical concerns. A field inquiry report…

  15. Fundraising and Values: When Do You Say "No" to Money

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hunsaker, Johanna S.

    2010-01-01

    Larimor University entered a relationship with a donor during a time of continuous leadership changes. The case study had many issues: questionable ethics in fundraising and donor relations, leadership failing to uphold the values by which the institution was founded, leadership transition and succession planning, ineffective management policies,…

  16. 78 FR 66271 - Final Priority; Rehabilitation Training: Rehabilitation Long-Term Training Program-Vocational...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-11-05

    ... Counselor Certification Code of Professional Ethics; (2) VR services to transition-age youth; (3... social and electronic media, especially as it relates to confidentiality and appropriateness of the use of the media; (9) exposure to the business perspective; (10) critical thinking and decision-making...

  17. From cure to palliation: concept, decision and acceptance

    PubMed Central

    Löfmark, R; Nilstun, T; Bolmsjö, I Ågren

    2007-01-01

    The aim of this paper is to present and discuss nurses' and physicians' comments in a questionnaire relating to patients' transition from curative treatment to palliative care. The four‐page questionnaire relating to experiences of and attitudes towards communication, decision‐making, documentation and responsibility of nurses and physicians and towards the competence of patients was developed and sent to a random sample of 1672 nurses and physicians of 10 specialties. The response rate was 52% (n = 844), and over one‐third made comments. The respondents differed in their comments about three areas: the concept of palliative care, experiences of unclear decision‐making and difficulties in acceptance of the patient's situation. The responses are analysed in terms of four ethical theories: virtue ethics, deontology, consequentialism and casuistry. Many virtues considered to be appropriate for healthcare personnel to possess were invoked. Compassion, honesty, justice and prudence are especially important. However, principles of medical ethics, such as the deontological principle of respect for self‐determination and the consequence of avoidance of harm, are also implied. Casuistry may be particularly helpful in analysing certain areas of difficulty—namely, what is meant by “palliative care”, decision‐making and accepting the patient's situation. Keeping a patient in a state of uncertainty often causes more suffering than necessary. Communication among the staff and with patients must be explicit. Many of the staff have not had adequate training in communicating with patients who are at the end of their life. Time for joint reflection has to be regained, and training in decision‐making is essential. In our opinion, palliative care in Sweden is in need of improvement. PMID:18055896

  18. The Ethics of Penile Transplantation: Preliminary Recommendations.

    PubMed

    Caplan, Arthur L; Kimberly, Laura L; Parent, Brendan; Sosin, Michael; Rodriguez, Eduardo D

    2017-06-01

    For men with significant genitourinary injury, penile transplantation is being considered as an option when reconstruction is not feasible or proves unacceptable to the injured patient. A review of the literature was conducted to assess the current state of penile reconstruction and transplantation options, as well as to evaluate scholarly research addressing the ethical dimensions of penile transplantation. The state of penile transplantation is elementary. If reconstruction is not a possibility, proceeding ethically with research on penile vascularized composite allotransplantation will require the articulation of guidelines. To date, very little has been published in the scholarly literature assessing the ethics of penile transplantation. Guidelines should be developed to address penile transplantation and must cover the donation of tissue, consent, subject selection, qualifications of the surgical team, and management of both failure and patient dissatisfaction. Unless guidelines are established and disseminated, penile transplants should not be undertaken. The preliminary recommendations suggested in this article may help to inform development of guidelines.

  19. "Robin Hood" of techno-Turkey or organ trafficking in the state of ethical beings.

    PubMed

    Sanal, Aslihan

    2004-09-01

    Dr S. is a famous transplant surgeon in the Middle East. He operates "underground" on wealthy patients in different countries, from Israel to Turkey to Russia. The media refer to him as the "Organ Mafia doctor," and patients diagnosed with renal failure speak of him sardonically as "Robin Hood," acknowledging that he takes organs from the poor to give to the rich. But ethical issues of organ trafficking are not limited to marginal private clinics and "Mafia" doctors. All-living related organ transplants in Turkey involve similar ethical dilemmas: many related or nonrelated organ recipients pay their donors, and demand continues to rise. This paper explores practices in state and university hospitals and the ethical dilemmas doctors encounter to understand where and how judicial, cultural, and social categories of "human rights" and "crime" are constructed in our high-tech world.

  20. A usability evaluation exploring the design of American Nurses Association state web sites.

    PubMed

    Alexander, Gregory L; Wakefield, Bonnie J; Anbari, Allison B; Lyons, Vanessa; Prentice, Donna; Shepherd, Marilyn; Strecker, E Bradley; Weston, Marla J

    2014-08-01

    National leaders are calling for opportunities to facilitate the Future of Nursing. Opportunities can be encouraged through state nurses association Web sites, which are part of the American Nurses Association, that are well designed, with appropriate content, and in a language professional nurses understand. The American Nurses Association and constituent state nurses associations provide information about nursing practice, ethics, credentialing, and health on Web sites. We conducted usability evaluations to determine compliance with heuristic and ethical principles for Web site design. We purposefully sampled 27 nursing association Web sites and used 68 heuristic and ethical criteria to perform systematic usability assessments of nurse association Web sites. Web site analysis included seven double experts who were all RNs trained in usability analysis. The extent to which heuristic and ethical criteria were met ranged widely from one state that met 0% of the criteria for "help and documentation" to states that met greater than 92% of criteria for "visibility of system status" and "aesthetic and minimalist design." Suggested improvements are simple yet make an impact on a first-time visitor's impression of the Web site. For example, adding internal navigation and tracking features and providing more details about the application process through help and frequently asked question documentation would facilitate better use. Improved usability will improve effectiveness, efficiency, and consumer satisfaction with these Web sites.

  1. A Brief Report on the Ethical and Legal Guides For Technology Use in Marriage and Family Therapy.

    PubMed

    Pennington, Michael; Patton, Rikki; Ray, Amber; Katafiasz, Heather

    2017-10-01

    Marriage and family therapists (MFTs) use ethical codes and state licensure laws/rules as guidelines for best clinical practice. It is important that professional codes reflect the potential exponential use of technology in therapy. However, current standards regarding technology use lack clarity. To explore this gap, a summative content analysis was conducted on state licensure laws/rules and professional ethical codes to find themes and subthemes among the many aspects of therapy in which technology can be utilized. Findings from the content analysis indicated that while there have been efforts by both state and professional organizations to incorporate guidance for technology use in therapy, a clear and comprehensive "roadmap" is still missing. Future scholarship is needed that develops clearer guidelines for therapists. © 2017 American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

  2. If anthropology is global, then so are its ethical dilemmas.

    PubMed

    Yoon, S Y

    2000-01-01

    This paper reviews three personal situations of the author as a student: an NGO activist in the women's movement and a UN official working on women's health and tobacco. Each situation, the kinds of ethical issue posed and lessons for the future direction of ethics in anthropology are outlined. The paper argues that applied anthropology is embedded in the position of the field of anthropology within the politics of the State and that this defines the parameters of individual choice. Contradictions in ethical situations and decision-making are posed by changing from the distant observer to active involvement and these may not be resolved by logic alone. Furthermore, governance and defining global ethical standards such as for the behavior of the tobacco multinational corporations is a fascinating new realm for anthropological ethical resolve.

  3. The ethics of patenting human embryonic stem cells.

    PubMed

    Chapman, Audrey R

    2009-09-01

    Just as human embryonic stem cell research has generated controversy about the uses of human embryos for research and therapeutic applications, human embryonic stem cell patents raise fundamental ethical issues. The United States Patent and Trademark Office has granted foundational patents, including a composition of matter (or product) patent to the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), the University of Wisconsin-Madison's intellectual property office. In contrast, the European Patent Office rejected the same WARF patent application for ethical reasons. This article assesses the appropriateness of these patents placing the discussion in the context of the deontological and consequentialist ethical issues related to human embryonic stem cell patenting. It advocates for a patent system that explicitly takes ethical factors into account and explores options for new types of intellectual property arrangements consistent with ethical concerns.

  4. [Occupational medicine: practice and ethical requirements of the new law on health and safety in the workplace (legislative decree 81/2008)].

    PubMed

    Franco, Giuliano; Mora, Erika

    2009-01-01

    Decisions in occupational health may involve ethical conflicts arising from conflicts between stakeholders' interests. Codes of ethics can provide a practical guide to solve dilemmas. The new law on health and safety in the workplace in Italy (decree 81/2008) states that occupational health practice must comply with the code of ethics of the International Commission on Occupational Health. The universally acknowledged ethical principles of beneficience/nonmaleficience, autonomy and justice, which are the basis of the Charter of fundamental rights of the European Union, inspired this code. Although the code is not a systematic textbook of occupational health ethics and does not cover all possible aspects arising from the practice, making decisions based on it will assure their effectiveness and compliance with ethical principles, besides the formal respect of the law.

  5. Ethics and the European countries in transition--the past and the future.

    PubMed

    Borovecki, Ana; ten Have, Henk; Oreskovic, Stiepan

    2006-01-01

    This paper surveys the situation regarding bioethical issues in the European transitional societies. It aims at exploring past, present and future characteristics of bioethics in the European countries in transitions, analysing similarities, differences and common themes together with the historical development of bioethics. By carefully studying articles published since the early 1990s, one can perceive a number of bioethical issues, varying from specificities for certain countries to similar problems for all transitional European societies. It seems that more than 15 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Central and Eastern European societies were able to achieve significant improvements in the development of bioethics. However, looking at the bioethical issues important for European transitional societies, it seems that the invisible wall between eastern and western European societies is still there and that it will take years to remove it.

  6. Is there room for ethics within bioinformatics education?

    PubMed

    Taneri, Bahar

    2011-07-01

    When bioinformatics education is considered, several issues are addressed. At the undergraduate level, the main issue revolves around conveying information from two main and different fields: biology and computer science. At the graduate level, the main issue is bridging the gap between biology students and computer science students. However, there is an educational component that is rarely addressed within the context of bioinformatics education: the ethics component. Here, a different perspective is provided on bioinformatics education, and the current status of ethics is analyzed within the existing bioinformatics programs. Analysis of the existing undergraduate and graduate programs, in both Europe and the United States, reveals the minimal attention given to ethics within bioinformatics education. Given that bioinformaticians speedily and effectively shape the biomedical sciences and hence their implications for society, here redesigning of the bioinformatics curricula is suggested in order to integrate the necessary ethics education. Unique ethical problems awaiting bioinformaticians and bioinformatics ethics as a separate field of study are discussed. In addition, a template for an "Ethics in Bioinformatics" course is provided.

  7. Leadership and organizational ethics: the three dimensional African perspectives

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    This paper addresses the past, present and future aspects of African leadership and organizational ethics that have, are and will be key for any organization to sustain its systems and structures. Organizational ethics revolves around written and/or unwritten guidelines, ethical values, principles, rules and standards, that are drawn from the harmonious coexistence with the biosphere and it is how these elements are applied that dictates the style of leadership and the ethical thinking of the leaders. Africa has a wide range of complexities which are compounded by, inter alia, tribal divisiveness, selfish leadership, wealth inequality, and massive unemployment. Africans tend to draw their leadership and ethical practices and reflections from the events in the environment with which they have interacted for many years. However, in order to fully address and understand the African perspective in leadership and organizational ethics, a broad comprehension of the African diverse and complex landscape is needed through unravelling of the three dimensional existence of the people. African ethics, developed over time, unifies organizations and leadership since it is part of life and is practised, sub-consciously or unconsciously, by the people as they transform from one practice to the other, and during intergenerational transitions. Globalization, liberalization, technological changes and advancement, and market changes are rapidly transforming the environment in which organizations operate. In such a situation, an effective and true leader cannot be rigid but should be flexible, with the ability to use different leadership styles whenever the situation calls for it. Only those leaders with a three-dimensional perspective live inspiring lives, live with a cause and adopt organizational ethics and leadership styles that will stand the test of time. Despite Africa being the cradle of humankind, leadership and organizational ethics is still in its infancy and wanting, even with the new generation of young leaders. The future outlook of African organizational ethics and leadership is to be found in the intersection of changes in technology, life style, demographics and geopolitics with new trends emerging in global polity and economy. PMID:24564917

  8. Leadership and organizational ethics: the three dimensional African perspectives.

    PubMed

    Mathooko, Jude Mutuku

    2013-01-01

    This paper addresses the past, present and future aspects of African leadership and organizational ethics that have, are and will be key for any organization to sustain its systems and structures. Organizational ethics revolves around written and/or unwritten guidelines, ethical values, principles, rules and standards, that are drawn from the harmonious coexistence with the biosphere and it is how these elements are applied that dictates the style of leadership and the ethical thinking of the leaders. Africa has a wide range of complexities which are compounded by, inter alia, tribal divisiveness, selfish leadership, wealth inequality, and massive unemployment. Africans tend to draw their leadership and ethical practices and reflections from the events in the environment with which they have interacted for many years. However, in order to fully address and understand the African perspective in leadership and organizational ethics, a broad comprehension of the African diverse and complex landscape is needed through unravelling of the three dimensional existence of the people. African ethics, developed over time, unifies organizations and leadership since it is part of life and is practised, sub-consciously or unconsciously, by the people as they transform from one practice to the other, and during intergenerational transitions. Globalization, liberalization, technological changes and advancement, and market changes are rapidly transforming the environment in which organizations operate. In such a situation, an effective and true leader cannot be rigid but should be flexible, with the ability to use different leadership styles whenever the situation calls for it. Only those leaders with a three-dimensional perspective live inspiring lives, live with a cause and adopt organizational ethics and leadership styles that will stand the test of time. Despite Africa being the cradle of humankind, leadership and organizational ethics is still in its infancy and wanting, even with the new generation of young leaders. The future outlook of African organizational ethics and leadership is to be found in the intersection of changes in technology, life style, demographics and geopolitics with new trends emerging in global polity and economy.

  9. Ethical issues for hospice volunteers.

    PubMed

    Berry, Patricia; Planalp, Sally

    Health care professionals usually receive professional education in ethics, but the half million hospice volunteers in the United States may receive only brief training that is limited to confidentiality and the volunteer role. The purpose of this study was to explore ethical issues hospice volunteers confront in their work. Interviews with 39 hospice volunteers were conducted, audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using qualitative methods. Prominent themes were dilemmas about gifts, patient care and family concerns, issues related to volunteer roles and boundaries, and issues surrounding suicide and hastening death. Suggestions for training include discussions of ethics after initial training once volunteers had confronted ethical issues, with special emphasis on strategies for negotiating their uneasy role positioned between health care professional and friend.

  10. Fetal pain, abortion, viability, and the Constitution.

    PubMed

    Cohen, I Glenn; Sayeed, Sadath

    2011-01-01

    In early 2010, the Nebraska state legislature passed a new abortion restricting law asserting a new, compelling state interest in preventing fetal pain. In this article, we review existing constitutional abortion doctrine and note difficulties presented by persistent legal attention to a socially derived viability construct. We then offer a substantive biological, ethical, and legal critique of the new fetal pain rationale. © 2011 American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics, Inc.

  11. The Durban World Congress Ethics Round Table Conference Report: I. Differences between withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining treatments.

    PubMed

    Sprung, Charles L; Paruk, Fathima; Kissoon, Niranjan; Hartog, Christiane S; Lipman, Jeffrey; Du, Bin; Argent, Andrew; Hodgson, R Eric; Guidet, Bertrand; Groeneveld, A B Johan; Feldman, Charles

    2014-12-01

    Withholding life-sustaining treatments (WHLST) and withdrawing life-sustaining treatments (WDLST) occur in most intensive care units (ICUs) around the world to varying degrees. Speakers from invited faculty of the World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine Congress in 2013 with an interest in ethics were approached to participate in an ethics round table. Participants were asked if they agreed with the statement "There is no moral difference between withholding and withdrawing a mechanical ventilator." Differences between WHLST and WDLST were discussed. Official statements relating to WHLST and WDLST from intensive care societies, professional bodies, and government statements were sourced, documented, and compared. Sixteen respondents stated that there was no moral difference between withholding or withdrawing a mechanical ventilator, 2 were neutral, and 4 stated that there was a difference. Most ethicists and medical organizations state that there is no moral difference between WHLST and WDLST. A review of guidelines noted that all but 1 of 29 considered WHLST and WDLST as ethically or legally equivalent. Most respondents, practicing intensivists, stated that there is no difference between WHLST and WDLST, supporting most ethicists and professional organizations. A minority of physicians still do not accept their equivalency. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. The Ethics of ROE

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-03-01

    the combination of virtues , both those of the intellect and those of character, is where practical wisdom enables ethical virtue to flourish.21...unethical behavior in the fog of individual conflict? Aristotle seems to have lit the way to an answer - - the development of individual virtue ...St ra te gy R es ea rc h Pr oj ec t THE ETHICS OF ROE BY COLONEL JOSEPH P. DIMINICK United States Army DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A

  13. Conflicts of interest between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry and special interest groups.

    PubMed

    Schetky, Diane H

    2008-01-01

    Health care in the United States is a tangled web of competing interest groups beneath which ethical conflicts of interest flourish. Physicians, professional organizations, and academic medical centers must continually evaluate their relationships with the pharmaceutical industry as they relate to personal, professional, and institutional ethical values. This article explores the relevant pressing ethical issues and proposals for changing course and managing these potentially troublesome relationships.

  14. On the lingua franca of clinical ethics.

    PubMed

    Fins, Joseph J

    2013-01-01

    In this 25-year retrospective on the state of clinical ethics, and the anniversary of the founding of The Journal of Clinical Ethics, the author comments on the state of the field. He argues that the language of bioethics, as used in practice, seems dated and out of touch with a clinical reality marked by emerging technologies and the advent of new fields like palliative medicine. Reflecting on his experiences as a clinician and clinical ethicist, the author worries about the emergence of a shallow bioethics, which is the product of a lingua franca. This linguistic amalgam is a weak composite in which concepts are simplified and nuance is overlooked, leading to interpretative errors. The best of ethical reasoning or clinical decision making can be lost in translation. Instead of the well-worn arguments over the relative worth of modes of ethical analysis, like principlism or pragmatism, the author argues that the emphasis should be on the cultivation of the "linguistic" skills necessary for translating any critical method in order to replace the lingua franca of clinical ethics with a more substantial discourse worthy of the complexity of the clinic.Through the emergence of such a shared language, at the interface of the sciences and the humanities, this multidisciplinary field can evolve towards more authentic interdisciplinarity.

  15. Politics and public health ethics in practice: right and left meet right and wrong.

    PubMed

    Gollust, Sarah E; Baum, Nancy M; Jacobson, Peter D

    2008-01-01

    As public health practitioners are no doubt aware, public health practice and politics are closely linked. Although theoretical discussion of the emerging field of public health ethics has been rich, scholars have paid little attention to the relationship between ethical issues and politics in public health practice. We conducted semistructured interviews with 45 public health practitioners across a range of occupations (eg, health officers, medical directors, sanitarians, nurses, educators, and commissioners) working at 12 local health departments across Michigan and the state health department. Practitioners were asked to describe the ethical issues they faced in their daily practice. Ethical issues that resulted from the political environment emerged as one major category of ethical issues our interviewees described. This article illustrates how political issues engender ethical challenges in 4 main areas: public health agenda-setting, political pressures, political conflicts with best practices, and the scope of public health practice. The findings suggest that politics and public health ethics intrinsically intersect, because political pressures and priorities often impose ethical challenges that practitioners negotiate in their daily work.

  16. Normative ethics does not need a foundation: it needs more science.

    PubMed

    Quintelier, Katinka; Van Speybroeck, Linda; Braeckman, Johan

    2011-03-01

    The impact of science on ethics forms since long the subject of intense debate. Although there is a growing consensus that science can describe morality and explain its evolutionary origins, there is less consensus about the ability of science to provide input to the normative domain of ethics. Whereas defenders of a scientific normative ethics appeal to naturalism, its critics either see the naturalistic fallacy committed or argue that the relevance of science to normative ethics remains undemonstrated. In this paper, we argue that current scientific normative ethicists commit no fallacy, that criticisms of scientific ethics contradict each other, and that scientific insights are relevant to normative inquiries by informing ethics about the options open to the ethical debate. Moreover, when conceiving normative ethics as being a nonfoundational ethics, science can be used to evaluate every possible norm. This stands in contrast to foundational ethics in which some norms remain beyond scientific inquiry. Finally, we state that a difference in conception of normative ethics underlies the disagreement between proponents and opponents of a scientific ethics. Our argument is based on and preceded by a reconsideration of the notions naturalistic fallacy and foundational ethics. This argument differs from previous work in scientific ethics: whereas before the philosophical project of naturalizing the normative has been stressed, here we focus on concrete consequences of biological findings for normative decisions or on the day-to-day normative relevance of these scientific insights.

  17. Transition States and transition state analogue interactions with enzymes.

    PubMed

    Schramm, Vern L

    2015-04-21

    Enzymatic transition states have lifetimes of a few femtoseconds (fs). Computational analysis of enzyme motions leading to transition state formation suggests that local catalytic site motions on the fs time scale provide the mechanism to locate transition states. An experimental test of protein fs motion and its relation to transition state formation can be provided by isotopically heavy proteins. Heavy enzymes have predictable mass-altered bond vibration states without altered electrostatic properties, according to the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. On-enzyme chemistry is slowed in most heavy proteins, consistent with altered protein bond frequencies slowing the search for the transition state. In other heavy enzymes, structural changes involved in reactant binding and release are also influenced. Slow protein motions associated with substrate binding and catalytic site preorganization are essential to allow the subsequent fs motions to locate the transition state and to facilitate the efficient release of products. In the catalytically competent geometry, local groups move in stochastic atomic motion on the fs time scale, within transition state-accessible conformations created by slower protein motions. The fs time scale for the transition state motions does not permit thermodynamic equilibrium between the transition state and stable enzyme states. Isotopically heavy enzymes provide a diagnostic tool for fast coupled protein motions to transition state formation and mass-dependent conformational changes. The binding of transition state analogue inhibitors is the opposite in catalytic time scale to formation of the transition state but is related by similar geometries of the enzyme-transition state and enzyme-inhibitor interactions. While enzymatic transition states have lifetimes as short as 10(-15) s, transition state analogues can bind tightly to enzymes with release rates greater than 10(3) s. Tight-binding transition state analogues stabilize the rare but evolved enzymatic geometry to form the transition state. Evolution to efficient catalysis optimized this geometry and its stabilization by a transition state mimic results in tight binding. Release rates of transition state analogues are orders of magnitude slower than product release in normal catalytic function. During catalysis, product release is facilitated by altered chemistry. Compared to the weak associations found in Michaelis complexes, transition state analogues involve strong interactions related to those in the transition state. Optimum binding of transition state analogues occurs when the complex retains the system motions intrinsic to transition state formation. Conserved dynamic motion retains the entropic components of inhibitor complexes, improving the thermodynamics of analogue binding.

  18. 48 CFR 603.804 - Policy

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ....804 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF STATE GENERAL IMPROPER BUSINESS PRACTICES AND... pursuant to the clause at FAR 52.203-12 to the Office of the Legal Adviser, Employment Law, Senior Ethics Counsel (L/EMP/Ethics). [69 FR 19331, Apr. 13, 2004] ...

  19. The Fellowship of the Mystery

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hotchkiss, Wesley

    1976-01-01

    Author states that religion involves cosmic vision as well as ethical philosophy, and that religious ethics become impotent without this vision. Mystery, defined as the sense of wonder at the revelation of the nature of the cosmos, can be expressed only through art. (RW)

  20. AGU Launches Web Site for New Scientific Integrity and Professional Ethics Policy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Townsend, Randy

    2013-03-01

    AGU's Scientific Integrity and Professional Ethics policy, approved by the AGU Board of Directors and Council in December 2012, is now available online on a new Web site, http://ethics.agu.org. As the Web site states, the policy embodies a "set of guidelines for scientific integrity and professional ethics for the actions of the members and the governance of the Union in its internal activities; in its public persona; and most importantly, in the research and peer review processes of its scientific publications, its communications and outreach, and its scientific meetings."

  1. A practical perspective on remedial ethics: Minnesota Board of Dentistry.

    PubMed

    Mensing, Candace; Shragg, Marshall

    2009-01-01

    The President and Executive Director of the Minnesota Board of Dentistry describe how the Bebeau course in ethics, for dentists referred because of ethical lapses, is used as part of the disciplinary process in the state. It is understood that breaches of ethical standards are a complex phenomenon, often engaged in by practitioners who know that they are doing wrong but nevertheless choose to do so. Typical patterns of transgression that result in referral to Dr. Bebeau's course include inappropriate billing practices, improper relations with staff or patients, questionable advertising, substandard care, "rough behavior," and gaps in infection control.

  2. Targeted Killings: A Legally Viable, High Risk Course of Action

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-05-04

    Section 413b of Title 50, United States Code ), 19 will target the individual. As Seymour Hersh reports, ―under federal law, a Presidential Finding... Kantian ethics ).‖ 23 This desire to mitigate impact on the civilian population is integral to the mission of the United Nations, where member...and War A Study in Comparative Ethics (Louisville, KY: Westminster / John Knox Press, 1993), 59. 14 capture is unfeasible. Barak explicitly states

  3. The Role of Ethics in Reducing and Improving the Quality of Coercion in Mental Health Care.

    PubMed

    Norvoll, Reidun; Hem, Marit Helene; Pedersen, Reidar

    2017-03-01

    Coercion in mental health care gives rise to many ethical challenges. Many countries have recently implemented state policy programs or development projects aiming to reduce coercive practices and improve their quality. Few studies have explored the possible role of ethics (i.e., ethical theory, moral deliberation and clinical ethics support) in such initiatives. This study adds to this subject by exploring health professionals' descriptions of their ethical challenges and strategies in everyday life to ensure morally justified coercion and best practices. Seven semi-structured telephone interviews were carried out in 2012 with key informants in charge of central development projects and quality-assurance work in mental health services in Norway. No facilities used formal clinical ethics support. However, the informants described five areas in which ethics was of importance: moral concerns as implicit parts of local quality improvement initiatives; moral uneasiness and idealism as a motivational source of change; creating a normative basis for development work; value-based leadership; and increased staff reflexivity on coercive practices. The study shows that coercion entails both individual and institutional ethical aspects. Thus, various kinds of moral deliberation and ethics support could contribute to addressing coercion challenges by offering more systematic ways of dealing with moral concerns. However, more strategic use of implicit and institutional ethics is also needed.

  4. Ethics, Economics and Dentistry for Individuals with Disabilities in New York State.

    PubMed

    Waldman, H Barry; Perlman, Steven P

    2016-03-01

    The ADA Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct is an expression of the obligation occurring between the profession and society to meet the oral health needs of the public. At a time of economic concerns for the profession, suggestions are made to bring together the ethics of the profession and the need to expand services to underserved populations, including individuals with disabilities and the poor. The profession's effort to secure economic support for such an effort is possible with increased legislative awareness of the magnitude of the problem. To this end, the number of individuals with disabilities was developed for each Congressional district in New York State in an effort to challenge members of Congress to recognize the need in terms of their constituents, rather than in terms of the tens of millions with disabilities in the United States-which become "just numbers," not actual people.

  5. Ethics instruction in the dental hygiene curriculum.

    PubMed

    Kacerik, Mark G; Prajer, Renee G; Conrad, Cynthia

    2006-01-01

    Dental hygiene ethics is an essential component of the dental hygiene curriculum. The accreditation standards for dental hygiene education state that graduates must be competent in applying ethical concepts to the provision and/or support of oral health care services. Although the standards for entry into the profession of dental hygiene emphasize the importance of ethical reasoning, there is little published research specific to ethics instruction in dental hygiene programs. The purpose of this study was to assess how ethics is taught in the dental hygiene curriculum. A 17-item survey was designed and distributed to 261 accredited dental hygiene programs in the United States for a response rate of 56% (N=147). The survey requested that participants provide information on teaching and evaluation methodologies, didactic and clinical hours of instruction, individuals responsible for providing instruction, and the degree of emphasis placed on ethics and integration of ethical reasoning within the dental hygiene curriculum. Results of the survey reflect that dental hygiene programs devote a mean of 20. hours to teaching dental hygiene ethics in the didactic component of the curriculum. With regard to the clinical component of the curriculum, 63% of respondents indicated that 10 or less hours are devoted to ethics instruction. These results show an increase in didactic hours of instruction from previous studies where the mean hours of instruction ranged from 7 to 11.7 hours. Results showed 64% of respondents offered a separate course in ethics; however, 82% of programs surveyed indicated that ethics was incorporated into one or more dental hygiene courses with 98% utilizing dental hygiene faculty to provide instruction. Most programs utilized a variety of instructional methods to teach ethics with the majority employing class discussion and lecture (99% and 97% respectively). The type of institution-technical college, community college, four-year university with a dental school, and four-year university without a dental school-had little influence on the degree of emphasis placed on teaching ethics. Although the number of hours devoted to ethics instruction has increased, 43% of respondents indicated that they would like to see more emphasis placed on ethics in the program with which they are affiliated. This study reveals that programs have taken measures to employ a variety of teaching strategies to ensure that students are competent in applying ethical concepts in the provision of oral health care. However, programs continue to rely primarily on traditional methods of instruction and evaluation such as lecture, discussion, quizzes, and written assignments. Inferential analysis focusing on the influence of the type of institution, showed that in general, the type of institution has little influence on the level of emphasis placed on teaching ethics in dental hygiene curricula. It is recommended that dental hygiene programs continue to implement and evaluate instructional methods that simulate real life experiences and emphasize ethical concepts that promote comprehensive oral health care. Future studies should investigate the effectiveness of ethics instruction within dental hygiene curricula.

  6. A Scoping Study on the Ethics of Health Systems Research.

    PubMed

    Bachani, Abdulgafoor M; Rattani, Abbas; Hyder, Adnan A

    2016-12-01

    Currently, health systems research (HSR) is reviewed by the same ethical standards as clinical research, which has recently been argued in the literature to be an inappropriate standard of evaluation. The issues unique to HSR warrant a different review by research ethics committees (RECs), as it does not impose the same risks to study participants as other types of clinical or public health research. However, there are limited tools and supporting documents that clarify the ethical considerations. Therefore, there is a need for additional reflection around ethical review of HSR and their consideration by RECs. The purpose of this paper is to review, understand, and synthesize the current state of literature and practice to inform these deliberations and the larger discourse on ethics review guidelines for HSR. This paper presents a review of the literature on ethics of HSR in the biomedical, public health, and implementation research to identify ethical considerations specific to HSR; and to identify examples of commonly available guidance and/or tools for the ethical review of HSR studies. Fifteen articles were identified on HSR ethics issues, and forty-two international academic institutions were contacted (of the responses (n=29), no institution had special ethical guidelines for reviewing HSR) about their HSR ethics review guidelines. There appears to be a clear gap in the current health research ethics discourse around health systems research ethics. This review serves as a first step (to better understand the current status) towards a larger dialogue on the topic. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  7. New Hampshire critical access hospitals: CEOs' report on ethical challenges.

    PubMed

    Nelson, William; Rosenberg, Marie-Claire; Weiss, Julie; Goodrich, Martha

    2009-01-01

    Research into the importance of organizational healthcare ethics has increasingly appeared in healthcare publications. However, to date, few published studies have examined ethical issues from the perspective of healthcare executives, and no empirical study has addressed organizational ethics with an explicit focus on rural hospitals. For our study, we sought to identify the frequency of ethical conflicts occurring within 12 general categories (domains) of administrative activities. Also, we wanted to determine what ethics resources are currently available and whether additional resources would be helpful. We conducted a structured telephone interview of all 13 chief executive officers (CEOs) of critical access hospitals in New Hampshire. All the CEOs in the study indicated that they encountered ethical conflicts. On average, the three most frequently noted domains were organizational-professional staff relations, reimbursement, and clinical care. All CEOs indicated they would like to have additional ethics resources to address these conflicts. This study verified that CEOs encounter a broad spectrum of ethical conflicts and need additional ethics resources to address them. Because this study used a small sample of CEOs and represented only one New England state, further ethics-related research in rural healthcare facilities is warranted. Follow-up study would allow for (1) a higher level of generalization of the findings, (2) clarity regarding specific ethical dilemmas that rural healthcare executives encounter, and (3) an assessment of ethics resources and training that healthcare executives need to address the ethical conflicts.

  8. Attachment and Student Success during the Transition to College

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kurland, Robert M.; Siegel, Harold I.

    2013-01-01

    We used 2 studies to examine attachment security and college student success. In the 1st study, 85 first-semester students provided information on attachment dimensions and psychological, ethical, and social indices. More anxious students performed worse academically in college than they had in high school and indicated they would be more willing…

  9. Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Participation in Decision Making: Ethical Considerations for Professional-Client Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lotan, Gurit; Ells, Carolyn

    2010-01-01

    In this article, the authors challenge professionals to re-examine assumptions about basic concepts and their implications in supporting adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The authors focus on decisions with significant implications, such as planning transition from school to adult life, changing living environments, and…

  10. Interrupting Life History: The Evolution of Relationship within Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hallett, Ronald E.

    2013-01-01

    In this paper the author explores how relationships are defined within the context of constructing a life history. The life history of Benjamin, a homeless young man transitioning to adulthood, is used to illustrate how difficult it is to define the parameters of the research environment. During an "ethically important moment" in the…

  11. Ethics in American health 1: ethical approaches to health policy.

    PubMed

    Ruger, Jennifer Prah

    2008-10-01

    I trace the evolution of ethical approaches to health policy in the United States and examine a number of critical unresolved issues pertaining to the current set of frameworks. Several themes emerge. First, fair procedures claim more attention than substantive and procedural principles. Second, in the case of public deliberation, more focus has been placed on factors such as procedural mechanisms than on understanding how individuals and groups value different aspects of health and agree on health-related decisions. Third, the nation needs workable frameworks to guide collective choices about valuable social ends and their trade-offs; purely procedural strategies are limited in illuminating overarching health policy and ethics questions. There is a need to integrate consequential and procedural approaches to health ethics and policy.

  12. Nontechnical issues in waste management: ethical, institutional, and political concerns

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hebert, J.A.; Rankin, W.L.; Brown, P.G.

    1978-05-01

    The report consists of a presentation and distillation of major nontechnical issues surrounding commercial waste management, followed by ethical, institutional, and political analyses of these issues. The ethical analysis consists of a discusson of what is meant by ''ethics'' and ''morality'' in the waste management context and an illustrative attempt at an ethical analysis of the commercial nuclear waste problem. Two institutional analyses are presented: one is an analysis of the possible problems of long-term human institutions in waste management; the other is a presentation of institutional arrangements for the short term. A final chapter discusses issues and concerns involvingmore » intergovernmental relations--that is, local, state, and federal interface problems in waste management.« less

  13. REU Students' Initial Perceptions of Scientific Ethics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Murphy, Sytil; Zollman, Dean

    2010-10-01

    One goal of undergraduate research, particularly Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs, is to help students become aware of the importance of ethical conduct in research. The Survey of Undergraduate Research Experiences (SURE) indicates that biology students believe they learn more about ethical conduct from their research experiences than physics students. Motivated by this, we initiated a study of both biology and physics REU students at Kansas State University consisting of pre- and post-interviews regarding their understanding of ethics with results to be compared to the SURE. This paper presents the students' initial perceptions (from the pre-interview) of how ethical issues impact science in general as well as their own specific work. We also discuss the differences in the interview responses of the two groups.

  14. US state variation in autism insurance mandates: Balancing access and fairness

    PubMed Central

    Johnson, Rebecca A; Danis, Marion; Hafner-Eaton, Chris

    2016-01-01

    This article examines how nations split decision-making about health services between federal and sub-federal levels, creating variation between states or provinces. When is this variation ethically acceptable? We identify three sources of ethical acceptability—procedural fairness, value pluralism, and substantive fairness—and examine these sources with respect to a case study: the fact that only 30 out of 51 US states or territories passed mandates requiring private insurers to offer extensive coverage of autism behavioral therapies, creating variation for privately insured children living in different US states. Is this variation ethically acceptable? To address this question, we need to analyze whether mandates go to more or less needy states and whether the mandates reflect value pluralism between states regarding government’s role in health care. Using time-series logistic regressions and data from National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs, Individual with Disabilities Education Act, legislature political composition, and American Board of Pediatrics workforce data, we find that the states in which mandates are passed are less needy than states in which mandates have not been passed, what we call a cumulative advantage outcome that increases between-state disparities rather than a compensatory outcome that decreases between-state disparities. Concluding, we discuss the implications of our analysis for broader discussions of variation in health services provision. PMID:24789870

  15. Justifiability and Animal Research in Health: Can Democratisation Help Resolve Difficulties?

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    Simple Summary Scientists justify animal use in medical research because the benefits to human health outweigh the costs or harms to animals. However, whether it is justifiable is controversial for many people. Even public interests are divided because an increasing proportion of people do not support animal research, while demand for healthcare that is based on animal research is also rising. The wider public should be given more influence in these difficult decisions. This could be through requiring explicit disclosure about the role of animals in drug labelling to inform the public out of respect for people with strong objections. It could also be done through periodic public consultations that use public opinion and expert advice to decide which diseases justify the use of animals in medical research. More public input will help ensure that animal research projects meet public expectations and may help to promote changes to facilitate medical advances that need fewer animals. Abstract Current animal research ethics frameworks emphasise consequentialist ethics through cost-benefit or harm-benefit analysis. However, these ethical frameworks along with institutional animal ethics approval processes cannot satisfactorily decide when a given potential benefit is outweighed by costs to animals. The consequentialist calculus should, theoretically, provide for situations where research into a disease or disorder is no longer ethical, but this is difficult to determine objectively. Public support for animal research is also falling as demand for healthcare is rising. Democratisation of animal research could help resolve these tensions through facilitating ethical health consumerism or giving the public greater input into deciding the diseases and disorders where animal research is justified. Labelling drugs to disclose animal use and providing a plain-language summary of the role of animals may help promote public understanding and would respect the ethical beliefs of objectors to animal research. National animal ethics committees could weigh the competing ethical, scientific, and public interests to provide a transparent mandate for animal research to occur when it is justifiable and acceptable. Democratic processes can impose ethical limits and provide mandates for acceptable research while facilitating a regulatory and scientific transition towards medical advances that require fewer animals. PMID:29443894

  16. Ethical considerations for the design and implementation of child injury prevention interventions: the example of delivering and installing safety equipment into the home.

    PubMed

    Scholtes, Beatrice; Schröder-Bäck, Peter

    2017-12-11

    Public health ethics is a growing field of academic interest but ethical discussion of injury prevention seems to have received limited attention. Interventions that promise to be effective are not necessarily-without explicit justification-'good' and 'right' interventions in every sense. This paper explores public health ethics in the context of child injury prevention with the objective to initiate interdisciplinary dialogue on the ethics of child safety interventions. A framework of seven public health ethics principles (non-maleficence, health maximisation, beneficence, respect for autonomy, justice, efficiency and proportionality) were applied to an intervention to promote child safety in the home. Preventing child injury in the home is ethically challenging due to the requirement for the state to intervene in the private sphere. Non-maleficence and beneficence are difficult to judge within this intervention as these are likely to be highly dependent on the nature of intervention delivery, in particular, the quality of communication. Respect for autonomy is challenged by an intervention occurring in the home. The socioeconomic gradient in child injury risk is an important factor but a nuanced approach could help to avoid exacerbating inequalities or stigmatisation. Equally, a nuanced approach may be necessary to accommodate the principles of proportionality and efficiency within the local context. We conclude that this intervention is justifiable from an ethical perspective but that this type of reflection loop is helpful to identify the impact of interventions beyond effectiveness. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  17. Estimating the Economic Benefits of Eliminating Job Strain as a Risk Factor for Depression.

    PubMed

    Cocker, Fiona; Sanderson, Kristy; LaMontagne, Anthony D

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study was to quantify the economic benefits of eliminating job strain as a risk factor for depression, using published population-attributable risk estimates of depression attributable to job strain (13.2% for men, 17.2% for women). Cohort simulation using state-transition Markov modeling estimated costs and health outcomes for employed persons who met criteria for lifetime DSM-IV major depression. A societal perspective over 1-year and lifetime time horizons was used. Among employed Australians, $890 million (5.8%) of the annual societal cost of depression was attributable to job strain. Employers bore the brunt of these costs, as they arose from lost productive time and increased risk of job turnover among employees experiencing depression. Proven, practicable means exist to reduce job strain. The findings demonstrate likely financial benefits to employers for expanding psychosocial risk management, providing a financial incentive to complement and reinforce legal and ethical directives.

  18. Networking Ethics: A Survey of Bioethics Networks Across the U.S.

    PubMed

    Fausett, Jennifer Kleiner; Gilmore-Szott, Eleanor; Hester, D Micah

    2016-06-01

    Ethics networks have emerged over the last few decades as a mechanism for individuals and institutions over various regions, cities and states to converge on healthcare-related ethical issues. However, little is known about the development and nature of such networks. In an effort to fill the gap in the knowledge about such networks, a survey was conducted that evaluated the organizational structure, missions and functions, as well as the outcomes/products of ethics networks across the country. Eighteen established bioethics networks were identified via consensus of three search processes and were approached for participation. The participants completed a survey developed for the purposes of this study and distributed via SurveyMonkey. Responses were obtained from 10 of the 18 identified and approached networks regarding topic areas of: Network Composition and Catchment Areas; Network Funding and Expenses; Personnel; Services; and Missions and Accomplishments. Bioethics networks are designed primarily to bring ethics education and support to professionals and hospitals. They do so over specifically defined areas-states, regions, or communities-and each is concerned about how to stay financially healthy. At the same time, the networks work off different organizational models, either as stand-alone organizations or as entities within existing organizational structures.

  19. Esssential ethics--embedding ethics into an engineering curriculum.

    PubMed

    Fleischmann, Shirley T

    2004-04-01

    Ethical decision-making is essential to professionalism in engineering. For that reason, ethics is a required topic in an ABET approved engineering curriculum and it must be a foundational strand that runs throughout the entire curriculum. In this paper the curriculum approach that is under development at the Padnos School of Engineering (PSE) at Grand Valley State University will be described. The design of this program draws heavily from the successful approach used at the service academies--in particular West Point and the United States Naval Academy. As is the case for the service academies, all students are introduced to the "Honor Concept" (which includes an Honor Code) as freshmen. As an element of professionalism the PSE program requires 1500 hours of co-op experience which is normally divided into three semesters of full-time work alternated with academic semesters during the last two years of the program. This offers the faculty an opportunity to teach ethics as a natural aspect of professionalism through the academic requirements for co-op. In addition to required elements throughout the program, the students are offered opportunities to participate in service projects which highlight responsible citizenship. These elements and other parts of the approach will be described.

  20. Emotions, narratives, and ethical mindfulness.

    PubMed

    Guillemin, Marilys; Gillam, Lynn

    2015-06-01

    Clinical care is laden with emotions, from the perspectives of both clinicians and patients. It is important that emotions are addressed in health professions curricula to ensure that clinicians are humane healers as well as technical experts. Emotions have a valuable and generative role in health professional ethics education.The authors have previously described a narrative ethics pedagogy, the aim of which is to develop ethical mindfulness. Ethical mindfulness is a state of being that acknowledges everyday ethics and ethically important moments as significant in clinical care, with the aim of enabling ethical clinical practice. Using a sample narrative, the authors extend this concept to examine five features of ethical mindfulness as they relate to emotions: (1) being sensitized to emotions in everyday practice, (2) acknowledging and understanding the ways in which emotions are significant in practice, (3) being able to articulate the emotions at play during ethically important moments, (4) being reflexive and acknowledging both the generative aspects and the limitations of emotions, and (5) being courageous.The process of writing and engaging with narratives can lead to ethical mindfulness, including the capacity to understand and work with emotions. Strategies for productively incorporating emotions in narrative ethics teaching are described. This can be a challenging domain within medical education for both educators and health care students and thus needs to be addressed sensitively and responsibly. The potential benefit of educating health professionals in a way which addresses emotionality in an ethical framework makes the challenges worthwhile.

  1. 5 CFR 5601.101 - General.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... Administrative Personnel POSTAL RATE COMMISSION SUPPLEMENTAL STANDARDS OF ETHICAL CONDUCT FOR EMPLOYEES OF THE... supplement the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch contained in 5 CFR part... operations of the United States Postal Service (Postal Service): (1) Includes a company or other person: (i...

  2. Narcissism, Materialism, and Environmental Ethics in Business Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bergman, Jacqueline Z.; Westerman, James W.; Bergman, Shawn M.; Westerman, Jennifer; Daly, Joseph P.

    2014-01-01

    We investigate the relationships between narcissism, materialism, and environmental ethics in undergraduate business students. Data were collected from business students (n = 405) at an Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business-accredited business school at a comprehensive state university. Results indicate that narcissism has an…

  3. Medical internet ethics: a field in evolution.

    PubMed

    Dyer, K A; Thompson, C D

    2001-01-01

    As in any new field, the merger of medicine, e-commerce and the Internet raises many questions pertaining to ethical conduct. Key issues include defining the essence of the patient-provider relationship, establishing guidelines and training for practicing online medicine and therapy, setting standards for ethical online research, determining guidelines for providing quality healthcare information and requiring ethical conduct for medical and health websites. Physicians who follow their professional code of ethics are obligated not to exploit the relationship they have with patients, nor allow anyone else working with them to do so. Physicians and therapists are obligated to serve those who place trust in them for treatment, whether in face-to-face or online Internet encounters with patients or clients. This ethical responsibility to patients and clients is often in direct conflict with the business model of generating profits. Healthcare professionals involved in Medical Internet Ethics need to define the scope of competent medical and healthcare on the Internet. The emerging ethical issues facing medicine on the Internet, the current state of medical ethics on the Internet and questions for future directions of study in this evolving field are reviewed in this paper.

  4. Protocol: A grounded theory of 'recovery'-perspectives of adolescent users of mental health services.

    PubMed

    Palmquist, Lucianne; Patterson, Sue; O'Donovan, Analise; Bradley, Graham

    2017-07-20

    Policies internationally endorse the recovery paradigm as the appropriate foundation for youth mental health services. However, given that this paradigm is grounded in the views of adults with severe mental illness, applicability to youth services and relevance to young people is uncertain, particularly as little is known about young people's views. A comprehensive understanding of the experiences and expectations of young people is critical to developing youth mental health services that are acceptable, accessible, effective and relevant. To inform development of policy and youth services, the study described in this protocol aims to develop a comprehensive account of the experiences and expectations of 12-17 year olds as they encounter mental disorders and transition through specialist mental health services. Data will be analysed to model recovery from the adolescents' perspective. This grounded theory study will use quantitative and qualitative data collected in interviews with 12-17 year olds engaged with specialist Child/Youth Mental Health Service in Queensland, Australia. Interviews will explore adolescents' expectations and experiences of mental disorder, and of services, as they transition through specialist mental health services, including the meaning of their experiences and ideas of 'recovery' and how their experiences and expectations are shaped. Data collection and analysis will use grounded theory methods. Adolescents' experiences will be presented as a mid-range theory. The research will provide tangible recommendations for youth-focused mental health policy and practice. Findings will be disseminated within academic literature and beyond to participants, health professionals, mental health advocacy groups and policy and decision makers via publications, research summaries, conferences and workshops targeting different audiences. Ethical and research governance approvals have been obtained from relevant Human Research Ethics committees and all sites involved. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  5. Professional values, self-esteem, and ethical confidence of baccalaureate nursing students.

    PubMed

    Iacobucci, Trisha A; Daly, Barbara J; Lindell, Debbie; Griffin, Mary Quinn

    2013-06-01

    Professional identity and competent ethical behaviors of nursing students are commonly developed through curricular inclusion of professional nursing values education. Despite the enactment of this approach, nursing students continue to express difficulty in managing ethical conflicts encountered in their practice. This descriptive correlational study explores the relationships between professional nursing values, self-esteem, and ethical decision making among senior baccalaureate nursing students. A convenience sample of 47 senior nursing students from the United States were surveyed for their level of internalized professional nursing values (Revised Professional Nursing Values Scale), level of self-esteem (Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale), and perceived level of confidence in ethical decision making. A significant positive relationship (p < 0.05) was found between nursing students' professional nursing values and levels of self-esteem. The results of this study can be useful to nursing educators whose efforts are focused on promoting professional identity development and competent ethical behaviors of future nurses.

  6. Issues with choice architecture, environmental ethics, and globalization.

    PubMed

    Sankowski, Edward

    2018-01-01

    Cass R. Sunstein's book The Ethics of Influence appears to have three ideological features notable for purposes of this essay. The book emphasizes choice architecture (and related notions such as nudges and defaults), which should be ethically scrutinized to guard against ethical abuses and to assist us in ethically desirable uses of scientific psychology and behavioral economics. (1) This particular book focuses more on scrutinizing nation-state government than on corporate activities. (2) This book focuses more on domestically directed governmental action than on externally directed governmental action. (3) This book focuses more on certain developed liberal democracies than on the more comprehensive global situation. Sunstein is especially interested in environmental issues, particularly energy policy, global warming, and climate change. This essay argues that Sunstein's conceptual scheme can be fruitfully expanded to progress toward a normative environmental ethics that can be integrated with the insights of global political economy.

  7. Organizational ethics in managed behavioral health care: perspectives from executives and leaders.

    PubMed

    Sharar, David A; Huff, Stan; Ackerson, Barry

    2003-01-01

    Managed behavioral health care (MBHC) is frequently criticized on ethical grounds for the way it undermines classical ideals of professionalism in mental health and addiction treatment. There is an implied assumption that practitioners who are executives and leaders in MBHC companies have moved away from clinical ethics to the adoption of business and financial models. This qualitative study explores perceptions of organizational ethical issues from the point of view of leaders working in MBHC settings and how their perspectives contribute to our current schemas for analyzing the ethical complexities of MBHC. Twenty-seven participants from across the United States were interviewed using an interview guide that relied on open-ended questions and probes. Inquiry findings present four major themes and describe participant material in a way that enhances sensitivity and understanding to organizational ethics in MBHC and behavioral health services and research.

  8. I’m from the Government and I’m Here to Help: Humanitarian Assistance in West Africa

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-06-09

    state, then to the international community . The sources in this section address the definition of R2P, the ethical considerations when determining...the ethics and morality of responding to them, and the strategy’s validity and effectiveness compared to the current plan. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Army... ethics and morality of responding to them, and the strategy’s validity and effectiveness compared to the current plan. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  9. The judicial process: an overview from the TDA Council on Ethics and Judicial Affairs.

    PubMed

    Burk, Roy N

    2011-08-01

    From time to time, the Council on Ethics and Judicial Affairs must investigate and act on the alleged unethical behavior of Texas Dental Association members. Because the alleged behavior is directed at a colleague and TDA member, the work of the council is neither comfortable nor inviting. Nonetheless, council decisions are made taking into account its mission to investigate the allegation between the parties and to improve dental ethics in the state.

  10. Detecting critical state before phase transition of complex systems by hidden Markov model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Rui; Chen, Pei; Li, Yongjun; Chen, Luonan

    Identifying the critical state or pre-transition state just before the occurrence of a phase transition is a challenging task, because the state of the system may show little apparent change before this critical transition during the gradual parameter variations. Such dynamics of phase transition is generally composed of three stages, i.e., before-transition state, pre-transition state, and after-transition state, which can be considered as three different Markov processes. Thus, based on this dynamical feature, we present a novel computational method, i.e., hidden Markov model (HMM), to detect the switching point of the two Markov processes from the before-transition state (a stationary Markov process) to the pre-transition state (a time-varying Markov process), thereby identifying the pre-transition state or early-warning signals of the phase transition. To validate the effectiveness, we apply this method to detect the signals of the imminent phase transitions of complex systems based on the simulated datasets, and further identify the pre-transition states as well as their critical modules for three real datasets, i.e., the acute lung injury triggered by phosgene inhalation, MCF-7 human breast cancer caused by heregulin, and HCV-induced dysplasia and hepatocellular carcinoma.

  11. Facilitating a transition from compulsory detention of people who use drugs towards voluntary community-based drug dependence treatment and support services in Asia.

    PubMed

    Tanguay, Pascal; Kamarulzaman, Adeeba; Aramrattana, Apinun; Wodak, Alex; Thomson, Nicholas; Ali, Robert; Vumbaca, Gino; Lai, Gloria; Chabungbam, Anand

    2015-10-16

    Evidence indicates that detention of people who use drugs in compulsory centers in the name of treatment is common in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. The expansion of such practices has been costly, has not generated positive health outcomes, and has not reduced supply or demand for illicit drugs. United Nations agencies have convened several consultations with government and civil society stakeholders in order to facilitate a transition to voluntary evidence- and community-based drug dependence treatment and support services. In an effort to support such efforts, an informal group of experts proposes a three-step process to initiate and accelerate national-level transitions. Specifically, the working group recommends the establishment of a national multisectoral decision-making committee to oversee the development of national transition plans, drug policy reform to eliminate barriers to community-based drug dependence treatment and support services, and the integration of community-based drug dependence treatment in existing national health and social service systems.In parallel, the working group recommends that national-level transitions should be guided by overarching principles, including ethics, human rights, meaningful involvement of affected communities, and client safety, as well as good governance, transparency, and accountability. The transition also represents an opportunity to review the roles and responsibilities of various agencies across the public health and public security sectors in order to balance the workload and ensure positive results. The need to accelerate national-level transitions to voluntary community-based drug dependence treatment and support services is compelling--on economic, medical, sustainable community development, and ethical grounds--as extensively documented in the literature. In this context, the expert working group fully endorses initiation of a transition towards voluntary evidence- and community-based drug dependence treatment and support services across the region, as well as the steady scale-down of compulsory centers for drug users.Components of voluntary community-based drug dependence treatment and support services are being implemented in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. However, significant technical and financial support will be required to be allocated from national budgets and by international development agencies in order to complete the transition and reduce the reliance on detention of people who use drugs in Asia.

  12. Remember Tuskegee: public health student knowledge of the ethical significance of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study.

    PubMed

    Coughlin, S S; Etheredge, G D; Metayer, C; Martin, S A

    1996-01-01

    The ethical problems that surrounded the Tuskegee Syphilis Study prompted widespread public criticism when they first surfaced in 1972; the Tuskegee Study remains an important case in bioethics. We recently examined public health student knowledge of the ethical significance of the Tuskegee Study as part of an ethics curriculum needs assessment at Tulane University. A brief questionnaire was administered to 236 graduate students currently enrolled in seven epidemiology courses. Basic demographic information was obtained along with information about degree program. A series of questions was then asked to assess student knowledge of bioethics including the ethical significance of the Tuskegee Study. Only 19% (46 of 236) of the students demonstrated knowledge of the ethical significance of the Tuskegee Study. Knowledge of the Tuskegee Study's ethical significance was higher among students who were from the United States and those who were enrolled in the epidemiology program (P < .05). The ethical problems that surrounded the Tuskegee Study have rarely been encountered in public health. However, this important case stands as an exemplar of the potential for ethical abuses in human subjects research. Such cases ought to be highlighted in public health curricula. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH): blacks, African Americans, educational curriculum, epidemiology, ethics, public health, racism.

  13. "It's Not Much of a Life": The Benefits and Ethics of Using Life History Methods With People Who Inject Drugs in Qualitative Harm Reduction Research.

    PubMed

    Harris, Magdalena; Rhodes, Tim

    2018-06-01

    A life history approach enables study of how risk or health protection is shaped by critical transitions and turning points in a life trajectory and in the context of social environment and time. We employed visual and narrative life history methods with people who inject drugs to explore how hepatitis C protection was enabled and maintained over the life course. We overview our methodological approach, with a focus on the ethics in practice of using life history timelines and life-grids with 37 participants. The life-grid evoked mixed emotions for participants: pleasure in receiving a personalized visual history and pain elicited by its contents. A minority managed this pain with additional heroin use. The methodological benefits of using life history methods and visual aids have been extensively reported. Crucial to consider are the ethical implications of this process, particularly for people who lack socially ascribed markers of a "successful life."

  14. From bench to bedside and to health policies (and back): ethics in translational research.

    PubMed

    Petrini, Carlo

    2014-01-01

    The medical aim of translational research is to smooth the transition of discoveries made through basic research from the laboratory bench to their diagnostic or therapeutic applications for patients. These applications may be extended to current clinical practice and to health policies. The converse is also important: health policies should provide a point of departure when identifying research priorities. Translational research poses the same ethical problems as trials with human subjects - albeit in different ways. One of the more significant problems is the risk for participants in trials: it is thus necessary to ensure that the risks to which these subjects are exposed are not out of proportion to the expected benefits. Translational research does not require new ethical principles, but existing biomedical principles need to be adjusted to the specific context. The well-being of participants should always be the primary objective; these persons should never be considered as means for the advancement of knowledge or for the improvement of applications.

  15. A syllabus for research ethics committees: training needs and resources in different European countries.

    PubMed

    Cairoli, Ester; Davies, Hugh T; Helm, Jürgen; Hook, Georg; Knupfer, Petra; Wells, Frank

    2012-03-01

    This paper reports a European Forum for Good Clinical Practice workshop held in 2011 to consider a research ethics committee training syllabus, subsequent training needs and resources. The syllabus that was developed was divided into four competencies: committee working; scientific method; ethical analysis and the regulatory framework. Appropriate training needs for each, with possible resources, were discussed. Lack of funding for training was reported as a major problem but affordable alternatives were debated. Strengths and weaknesses of this approach were discussed and the resultant proposal will be disseminated through the European Forum for Good Clinical Practice and the research ethics committees of member states.

  16. The ethics of a genetic screening study for antisocial personality disorder with Mesoamericans: case study in the ethics of mental health research.

    PubMed

    Rodriguez, Maria-Virginia

    2012-03-01

    This article contains an analysis of a research ethics committee's (REC) concerns about a study protocol involving genetic screening for antisocial personality disorder. The study was proposed by US university researchers and to be conducted with Mesoamerican populations in the United States and in their countries of origin. The analysis explains why the study was not considered ethical by the REC, pointing to issues with the choice of study population, informed consent, confidentiality, and posttrial obligations. Some recommendations are provided for ways in which the study could have been redesigned.

  17. [Responsibilities of ethics committees].

    PubMed

    von Bergmann, K

    1999-01-15

    Increasing numbers of clinical research projects are submitted to ethical committees (institutional review boards) for approval. New therapeutic developments have to be evaluated by these committees to protect patients/volunteers. Thus, the responsibility of ethical committees is increasing. The "Nürnberger Kodex" and the "Declaration of Helsinki" are the background for these evaluations. According to the German drug law the physician is obligated by law to submit the protocol to such a committee. In addition, local state physician authorities require such a procedure. Important considerations during the review process besides ethical aspects are the informed consent, which should be written in an understandable form, and the obligations of the insurance.

  18. [Responsibilities of ethics committees].

    PubMed

    von Bergmann, K

    2000-05-01

    Increasing numbers of clinical research projects are submitted to ethical committees (institutional review boards) for approval. New therapeutic developments have to be evaluated by these committees to protect patients/volunteers. Thus, the responsibility of ethical committees is increasing. The "Nürnberger Kodex" and the "Declaration of Helsinki" are the background for these evaluations. According to the German drug law the physician is obligated by law to submit the protocol to such a committee. In addition, local state physician authorities require such a procedure. Important considerations during the review process besides ethical aspects are the informed consent, which should be written in an understandable form, and the obligations of the insurance.

  19. Are age and ethics related?

    PubMed

    Sikula, A; Costa, A D

    1994-11-01

    Ethical values of 171 college students at California State University, Chico, were measured, using a subset of the Rokeach (1968, 1971) Value Survey. Nonparametric statistical analysis, four value measures, and four different consistent tests of significance and probability showed, surprisingly, that the younger students were more ethical than the older students. College students under 21 scored significantly higher ethically on three out of the four measures. Younger college students valued equality, freedom, and honesty more than their older classmates did. Surprisingly also, the younger students were significantly more concerned with being helpful and intellectual and were less involved in pursuing an exciting life and in social recognition than were the older students.

  20. Against Strong Ethical Parity: Situated Cognition Theses and Transcranial Brain Stimulation

    PubMed Central

    Heinrichs, Jan-Hendrik

    2017-01-01

    According to a prominent suggestion in the ethics of transcranial neurostimulation the effects of such devices can be treated as ethically on par with established, pre-neurotechnological alterations of the mind. This parity allegedly is supported by situated cognition theories showing how external devices can be part of a cognitive system. This article will evaluate this suggestion. It will reject the claim, that situated cognition theories support ethical parity. It will however point out another reason, why external carriers or modifications of the mental might come to be considered ethically on par with internal carriers. Section “Why Could There Be Ethical Parity between Neural Tissue and External Tools?” presents the ethical parity theses between external and internal carriers of the mind as well as neurotechnological alterations and established alterations. Section “Extended, Embodied, Embedded: Situated Cognition as a Relational Thesis” will elaborate the different situated cognition approaches and their relevance for ethics. It will evaluate, whether transcranial stimulation technologies are plausible candidates for situated cognition theses. Section “On the Ethical Relevance of Situated Cognition Theses” will discuss criteria for evaluating whether a cognitive tool is deeply embedded with a cognitive system and apply these criteria to transcranial brain stimulation technologies. Finally it will discuss the role diverse versions of situated cognition theory can play in the ethics of altering mental states, especially the ethics of transcranial brain stimulation technologies. PMID:28443008

  1. Against Strong Ethical Parity: Situated Cognition Theses and Transcranial Brain Stimulation.

    PubMed

    Heinrichs, Jan-Hendrik

    2017-01-01

    According to a prominent suggestion in the ethics of transcranial neurostimulation the effects of such devices can be treated as ethically on par with established, pre-neurotechnological alterations of the mind. This parity allegedly is supported by situated cognition theories showing how external devices can be part of a cognitive system. This article will evaluate this suggestion. It will reject the claim, that situated cognition theories support ethical parity. It will however point out another reason, why external carriers or modifications of the mental might come to be considered ethically on par with internal carriers. Section "Why Could There Be Ethical Parity between Neural Tissue and External Tools?" presents the ethical parity theses between external and internal carriers of the mind as well as neurotechnological alterations and established alterations. Section "Extended, Embodied, Embedded: Situated Cognition as a Relational Thesis" will elaborate the different situated cognition approaches and their relevance for ethics. It will evaluate, whether transcranial stimulation technologies are plausible candidates for situated cognition theses. Section "On the Ethical Relevance of Situated Cognition Theses" will discuss criteria for evaluating whether a cognitive tool is deeply embedded with a cognitive system and apply these criteria to transcranial brain stimulation technologies. Finally it will discuss the role diverse versions of situated cognition theory can play in the ethics of altering mental states, especially the ethics of transcranial brain stimulation technologies.

  2. Quality in ethics consultations.

    PubMed

    Magill, Gerard

    2013-11-01

    There is an increasing need for quality in ethics consultations, though there have been significant achievements in the United States and Europe. However, fundamental concerns that place the profession in jeopardy are discussed from the perspective of the U.S. in a manner that will be helpful for other countries. The descriptive component of the essay (the first two points) explains the achievements in ethics quality (illustrated by the IntegratedEthics program of the Veterans Health Administration) and the progress on standards and competencies for ethics consultations (represented by the Core Competencies of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities). Based on these achievements, the analytical component of the essay (the final three points) identifies and seeks to resolve three fundamental concerns (with increasing levels of importance) that compromise quality in ethics consultations: standards of quality; professionalism; and credentialing. The analysis argues for clearer standards of quality in ethics consultation and urges further professionalism by explaining the need for the following: interpreting the ASBH core competencies in a normative manner, developing a Code of Ethics, and clarifying the meaning of best practices. However, the most serious concern that threatens quality in ethics consultations is the lack of a credentialing process. This concern can be resolved effectively by developing an independent Ethics Consultation Accreditation Council to accredit and standardize graduate degree programs, fellowship experiences, and qualifying examinations. This credentialing process is indispensable if we are to strategically enhance quality in ethics consultations.

  3. Filial ethics and judgments of filial behaviour in Taiwan and the United States.

    PubMed

    Lee, I-Ching; Tan, Judy Y

    2012-01-01

    Parent-child relationships are fundamental human relationships in which specific norms govern proper parent-child interactions. Such norms, or filial ethics, have been observed in different cultures, including in the United States and Taiwan, but important differences may exist in how filial practices are viewed across cultures. From a traditional view of power as domination over others, if filial relationships are viewed to reflect power differentials between parents and children, actors who follow filial ethics should be viewed as less powerful than actors who do not follow filial ethics for maintaining or enhancing positive parent-child relationships. Alternatively, power can be conceptualized as the ability to meet one's needs (e.g., for communal care and trust), and actors who follow filial ethics should be viewed as more powerful and trustworthy than actors who do not follow filial ethics because they have the ability to maintain or enhance positive parent-child relationships. Based on a power-trust model, we compared American and Taiwanese perceptions of actors in an experiment using vignettes describing filial behaviours. We conducted a path analysis with a sample of 112 American and 74 Taiwanese participants to test the proposed relations. Results showed that both Taiwanese and Americans rated actors more favourably (i.e., as more powerful and trustworthy) when actors behaved according to filial ethics than when they did not. Some cross-cultural differences were also observed: Taiwanese attributed trust-traits to actors who performed filial practices to a larger degree than did Americans. We discuss implications for the implicit nature of filial relationships and conceptualization of power cross-culturally.

  4. A Global Perspective on Public Relations Ethics: The Middle East.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kruckeberg, Dean

    1996-01-01

    States that Moslem culture heavily influences much of Middle Eastern practice, and that contemporary public relations literature indicates that "ethical" public relations practices embrace a "two-way symmetrical" model. Describes a counterthesis that contends that public relations is culturally relative in both theories and…

  5. 75 FR 10707 - MORTGAGE ASSISTANCE RELIEF SERVICES

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-09

    ...), available at ( http://www.mbaa.org/NewsandMedia/PressCenter/71112.htm ). In December 2008, Credit Suisse.../release.php?id=1821 ). \\50\\ See State Bar of California, Ethics Alert: Legal Services to Distressed Homeowners and Foreclosure Consultants on Loan Modifications 2, Ethics Hotliner (Feb. 2, 2009), available at...

  6. Ethics: An Educational Imperative

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davis, Gary

    2004-01-01

    Citing scandals in accounting, law, banking, securities and corporations, Candace de Russy, a member of the State University of New York Board of Trustees recently urged college boards to "make ethics a living tradition, a day-to-day reality throughout higher education." If colleges prepare bankers, lawyers, accountants and brokers, de…

  7. Home Page

    Science.gov Websites

    Employee Forms Ethics Prospective Employee State Job Openings State Benefits Resources State Employee written communication or face-to-face business communication. Specifically prohibited is the use of these

  8. Ethics in American Health 1: Ethical Approaches to Health Policy

    PubMed Central

    2008-01-01

    I trace the evolution of ethical approaches to health policy in the United States and examine a number of critical unresolved issues pertaining to the current set of frameworks. Several themes emerge. First, fair procedures claim more attention than substantive and procedural principles. Second, in the case of public deliberation, more focus has been placed on factors such as procedural mechanisms than on understanding how individuals and groups value different aspects of health and agree on health-related decisions. Third, the nation needs workable frameworks to guide collective choices about valuable social ends and their trade-offs; purely procedural strategies are limited in illuminating overarching health policy and ethics questions. There is a need to integrate consequential and procedural approaches to health ethics and policy. PMID:18703449

  9. Teaching corner: the prospective case study : a pedagogical innovation for teaching global health ethics.

    PubMed

    Stewart, Kearsley A

    2015-03-01

    Over the past decade, global health has emerged as one of the fastest growing academic programs in the United States. Ethics training is cited widely as an essential feature of U.S. global health programs, but generally it is not deeply integrated into the global health teaching and training curricula. A discussion about the pedagogy of teaching global health ethics is long overdue; to date, only a few papers specifically engage with pedagogy rather than competencies or content. This paper explores the value of case study pedagogy for a full-semester graduate course in global health ethics at an American university. I address some of the pedagogical challenges of teaching global health ethics through my innovative use of case study methodology-the "prospective case study" (PSC).

  10. Suspended Education Department Official Had Approved Waiver for Former Employer

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Basken, Paul

    2007-01-01

    Matteo Fontana, the student-aid official in the U.S. Department of Education who was suspended last month in an ethics case, issued a controversial high-stakes legal ruling in 2004 that benefited his former employer, Sallie Mae, on the day before the nation's top student lender completed its transition from a government-founded lender into a…

  11. Transition to Parenthood and Intergenerational Relationships: The Ethical Value of Family Memory

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Amadini, Monica

    2015-01-01

    Inside the family, all individuals define their identity in relation to previous generations (those calling them to life), the present ones (those they share their life with), and the future ones (to whom they give life). This intergenerational exchange plays important educational roles: it fosters a sense of belonging and identification, promotes…

  12. Responsibility in Dental Praxis: An Activity Theoretical Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ardenghi, Diego Machado; Roth, Wolff-Michael; Pozzer-Ardenghi, Lilian

    2007-01-01

    Purpose--The purpose of this paper is to investigate the transitions practitioners undergo as they move from dental school to their first job in a dental clinic and their learning in the workplace. The paper aims to investigate their use of ethical principles as they engage in practice, providing a theoretical explanation for the gap practitioners…

  13. Ethics Literacy and "Ethics University": Two Intertwined Models for Public Involvement and Empowerment in Bioethics.

    PubMed

    Strech, Daniel; Hirschberg, Irene; Meyer, Antje; Baum, Annika; Hainz, Tobias; Neitzke, Gerald; Seidel, Gabriele; Dierks, Marie-Luise

    2015-01-01

    Informing lay citizens about complex health-related issues and their related ethical, legal, and social aspects (ELSA) is one important component of democratic health care/research governance. Public information activities may be especially valuable when they are used in multi-staged processes that also include elements of information and deliberation. This paper presents a new model for a public involvement activity on ELSA (Ethics University) and evaluation data for a pilot event. The Ethics University is structurally based on the "patient university," an already established institution in some German medical schools, and the newly developed concept of "ethics literacy." The concept of "ethics literacy" consists of three levels: information, interaction, and reflection. The pilot project consisted of two series of events (lasting 4 days each). The thematic focus of the Ethics University pilot was ELSA of regenerative medicine. In this pilot, the concept of "ethics literacy" could be validated as its components were clearly visible in discussions with participants at the end of the event. The participants reacted favorably to the Ethics University by stating that they felt more educated with regard to the ELSA of regenerative medicine and with regard to their own abilities in normative reasoning on this topic. The Ethics University is an innovative model for public involvement and empowerment activities on ELSA theoretically underpinned by a concept for "ethics literacy." This model deserves further refinement, testing in other ELSA topics and evaluation in outcome research.

  14. Ethical dilemmas encountered by small animal veterinarians: characterisation, responses, consequences and beliefs regarding euthanasia.

    PubMed

    Kipperman, Barry; Morris, Patricia; Rollin, Bernard

    2018-05-12

    Small animal veterinarians' opinions were investigated regarding the frequency and nature of ethical dilemmas encountered, beliefs regarding euthanasia and balancing client and animal interests, prevalence and value of ethics training and proposals to mitigate the stressful effects of ethical dilemmas. The majority (52 per cent) of 484 respondents in the USA indicated via an online survey experiencing an ethical dilemma regarding the interests of clients and those of their patients at least weekly. Scenarios involving client financial concerns were commonly reported causes of ethical conflicts. While only 20 per cent of respondents indicated that other practitioners prioritise patient interests, 50 per cent of respondents characterised their own behaviour as prioritising patients. Most respondents (52 per cent) reported that ethical dilemmas are the leading cause, or are one of many equal causes, of work-related stress. Less experienced practitioners, general practitioners and associate veterinarians were more likely to encounter situations they defined as ethical dilemmas, and female respondents were more likely to find ethical dilemmas stressful. Most small animal veterinarians experience ethical dilemmas regularly, which contribute to moral stress. Results suggested that most small animal practitioners believe that greater awareness of moral stress and providing training in ethical theories and tools for coping with ethical dilemmas can ameliorate moral stress. © British Veterinary Association (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  15. The transformation of (bio)ethics expertise in a world of ethical pluralism.

    PubMed

    Kovács, József

    2010-12-01

    Today, bioethics experts have an increasing role in public life. However, the question arises: what does bioethics expertise really mean? Can there be such a thing in our globalised world characterised by ethical pluralism? I will argue that bioethics as a discipline represents the transformation of ethics expertise from a hard to a soft form of it. Bioethics was born as a reaction to the growing awareness of ethical pluralism, and it denied the hard form of normative-prescriptive ethics expertise (the ability to determine what is the right course of action for others), particularly in its medical ethics form. In contrast, the traditional medical ethics model, and pre-modern societies in general, believed in hard normative ethics expertise. From this followed the characteristic paternalism of traditional medical practice: if physicians were experts in moral matters as well, if they knew what the right course of action to choose was, then they had a right to benevolently force this course of action on their patients. The remnants of this doctrine, although rarely stated explicitly, still can often be seen in clinical practice. The whole bioethics movement can be seen as a radical denial of the doctrine of physician's hard expertise in moral matters. Bioethics, however, represents a type of soft ethics expertise (mainly value sensitivity). Hence follows the seeming paradox of bioethics expertise: bioethics is both a denial of ethics expertise (in its hard form) as well as a type of (soft) ethics expertise.

  16. Ethical aspects in tissue research: thematic analysis of ethical statements to the research ethics committee

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Many studies have been published about ethics committees and the clarifications requested about the submitted applications. In Finland, ethics committees require a separate statement on ethical aspects of the research in applications to the ethics committee. However, little is known about how researchers consider the ethical aspects of their own studies. Methods The data were collected from all the applications received by the official regional ethics committee in the Hospital District of Northern Savo during 2004–2009 (n = 688). These included a total of 56 studies involving research on tissue other than blood. The statements by the researchers about the ethics about their own research in these applications were analyzed by thematic content analysis under the following themes: recruitment, informed consent, risks and benefits, confidentiality and societal meaning. Results The researchers tended to describe recruitment and informed consent process very briefly. Usually these descriptions simply stated who the recruiter was and that written consent would be required. There was little information provided on the recruitment situation and on how the study recruiters would be informed. Although most of the studies were clinical, the possibility was hardly ever discussed that patients could fail to distinguish between care and research. Conclusion The written guidelines, available on the webpages of the ethics committee, do not seem to be enough to help researchers achieve this goal. In addition to detailed guidelines for researchers, investigators need to be taught to appreciate the ethical aspects in their own studies. PMID:22873761

  17. What is the responsibility of national government with respect to vaccination?

    PubMed

    Verweij, Marcel F; Houweling, Hans

    2014-12-12

    Given the ethical aspects of vaccination policies and current threats to public trust in vaccination, it is important that governments follow clear criteria for including new vaccines in a national programme. The Health Council of the Netherlands developed such a framework of criteria in 2007, and has been using this as basis for advisory reports about several vaccinations. However, general criteria alone offer insufficient ground and direction for thinking about what the state ought to do. In this paper, we present and defend two basic ethical principles that explain why certain vaccinations are the state's moral-political responsibility, and that may further guide decision-making about the content and character of immunisation programmes. First and foremost, the state is responsible for protecting the basic conditions for public health and societal life. Secondly, states are responsible for promoting and securing equal access to basic health care, which may also include certain vaccinations. We argue how these principles can find reasonable support from a broad variety of ethical and political views, and discuss several implications for vaccination policies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Ethical aspects of surrogacy.

    PubMed

    Walters, W A

    1989-08-01

    Ethical issues related to surrogacy are explored and an argument made for its ethical approval in circumstances where the particularities of the case warrant this approach to reproduction. Despite recent and impending legislation to prohibit commercial surrogacy in some States of Australia, although data are difficult to obtain, unofficial and anecdotal reports from medical practitioners specializing in the management of infertility throughout the country indicate an increasing number of requests for surrogacy and increasing referral of infertile couples to the USA for commercial surrogacy arrangements.

  19. Fluoridation: a violation of medical ethics and human rights.

    PubMed

    Cross, Douglas W; Carton, Robert J

    2003-01-01

    Silicofluorides, widely used in water fluoridation, are unlicensed medicinal substances, administered to large populations without informed consent or supervision by a qualified medical practitioner. Fluoridation fails the test of reliability and specificity, and, lacking toxicity testing of silicofluorides, constitutes unlawful medical research. It is banned in most of Europe; European Union human rights legislation makes it illegal. Silicofluorides have never been submitted to the U.S. FDA for approval as medicines. The ethical validity of fluoridation policy does not stand up to scrutiny relative to the Nuremberg Code and other codes of medical ethics, including the Council of Europe's Biomedical Convention of 1999. The police power of the State has been used in the United States to override health concerns, with the support of the courts, which have given deference to health authorities.

  20. The Academic Ethic and College Grades: Does Hard Work Help Students To "Make the Grade"?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rau, William; Durand, Ann

    2000-01-01

    Demonstrates how "academic ethic" (a student world view that emphasizes diligent, daily, and sober study) can be operationalized and measured. Provides evidence for its existence among students at Illinois State University. Finds a relationship between methodical, disciplined study and academic performance. (Contains references.) (CMK)

  1. Teaching with "Liangxin" (Virtuous Heart) Held in Hands or Not: Untangling Self- and State-Governmentalization of Contemporary Chinese Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhao, Weili

    2014-01-01

    Contemporary Chinese teachers are being transformed into morally divided subjects by institutional teacher-evaluation governance. They claim such institutional governance can "devour" their basic professional ethics of "teaching with 'liangxin'" (??), a reinvoked Confucian ethical notion. Then, how does "liangxin"…

  2. Spirituality: Implications for Professional School Counselors' Ethical Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lambie, Glenn W.; Davis, Keith M.; Miller, Geri

    2008-01-01

    The separation between church and state (e.g., public education) is contentious. Furthermore, schools and many professional school counselors (PSCs) may choose to disregard and/or discount spirituality. This article (a) presents the importance of spirituality in counseling, (b) explores legal statutes and ethical standards relating to spirituality…

  3. Reporting Child Sexual Abuse: Ethical Dilemmas, and Guidelines for Decision Making.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zambelli, Grace C.; Lee, Sandra S.

    All states have laws mandating that certain individuals report suspected occurrences of child abuse. Mandatory reporting statutes, their administration, and their judicial interpretation have created many ethical, legal, and clinical dilemmas. The abrogation of the confidentiality in the therapeutic relationship is probably the foremost ethical…

  4. Ethical Practices for College Presidents.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    American Association of State Colleges and Universities, Washington, DC.

    A policy statement on ethical practices for college presidents developed by the Committee on Governance of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) is presented. Presidents of AASCU member institutions recognize the special responsibilities that pertain to them by virtue of the public trust they hold. To fulfill that…

  5. Values, Ethics and Teacher Education: A Perspective from Pakistan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zia, Rukhsana

    2007-01-01

    Values and ethics are automatically incorporated into any teaching/learning environment or endeavour, whether or not they are consciously stated objectives. The focus on "quality of education" has sharpened as people have become concerned about a perceived rise in materialism as standards of living have improved; materialistic ambitions…

  6. Research ethics policies and practices in health research institutions in sub-Saharan African countries: results of a questionnaire-based survey.

    PubMed

    Zielinski, Chris; Kebede, Derege; Mbondji, Peter Ebongue; Sanou, Issa; Kouvividila, Wenceslas; Lusamba-Dikassa, Paul-Samson

    2014-05-01

    To describe the state of research ethics policies and practices in health research institutions in sub-Saharan African countries. A structured questionnaire was used to solicit information on research ethics from health research institutions. Forty-two sub-Saharan African countries. Key informants from the health research institutions. Existence of institutional ethics review policies and mechanisms. About half (51%) of respondent institutions reported having policies on research ethics and 58% had written policies requiring that researchers obtain informed consent of research participants. About one-third of respondent institutions (34%) had established ethics review committees, 42% required that studies went through ethics review committees and 46% had linkages with national or regional ethics organisations. Regarding operating procedures for ethics review committees, 53% had adopted standard operating procedures. Less than one-quarter of respondent institutions reported having policies in place to monitor ongoing research. Of the institutions that monitored ongoing research, 34% did an annual ethical review and 74% required a periodic written report. Only 36% provided any type of ethics training for staff, including those conducting health research and those who were not members of the ethics review committee. There are substantial gaps in the capacity of health research institutions in the WHO African Region to undertake ethical review of studies before, during and after studies conducted. There is a need to strengthen such capacity in order to ensure the wellbeing of individuals enrolled in studies and that of communities that host these studies. © The Royal Society of Medicine.

  7. [Psychiatry during National Socialism: historical knowledge, implications for present day ethical debates].

    PubMed

    Roelcke, V

    2010-11-01

    This contribution is a synthesis of the results of historical research on psychiatry during the Nazi period and some implications for present day debates in medical ethics. The focus is on three issues: the relationship between physicians and the state, the impact of eugenically and economically motivated health and social policies for psychiatry (e.g. forced sterilization, patient killing/euthanasia) and psychiatric research. Three myths are deconstructed: 1) that medical atrocities were imposed from above by Nazi politicians on apolitical physicians, 2) that mass sterilization and patient killing had nothing to do with contemporary state of the art of medical reasoning and practice and 3) that ethically unacceptable research on psychiatric patients had nothing to do with the contemporary state of the art of biomedical sciences. It is argued that the findings on these issues of Nazi medicine are not specific to Germany and the period between 1933 and 1945 but they were the extreme manifestations of some potential problems implicit in modern medicine in general.

  8. [Ethical issue in animal experimentation].

    PubMed

    Parodi, André-Laurent

    2009-11-01

    In the 1970s, under pressure from certain sections of society and thanks to initiatives by several scientific research teams, committees charged with improving the conditions of laboratory animals started to be created, first in the United States and subsequently in Europe. This led to the development of an ethical approach to animal experimentation, taking into account new scientific advances. In addition to the legislation designed to provide a legal framework for animal experimentation and to avoid abuses, this ethical approach, based on the concept that animals are sentient beings, encourages greater respect of laboratory animals and the implementation of measures designed to reduce their suffering. Now, all animal experiments must first receive ethical approval--from in-house committees in the private sector and from regional committees for public institutions. Very recently, under the impetus of the French ministries of research and agriculture, the National committee for ethical animal experimentation published a national ethical charter on animal experimentation, setting the basis for responsible use of animals for scientific research and providing guidelines for the composition and functioning of ethics committees. Inspired by the scientific community itself this ethical standardization should help to assuage--but not eliminate--the reticence and hostility expressed by several sections of society.

  9. Getting comfortable with "comfort feeding": An exploration of legal and ethical aspects of the Australian speech-language pathologist's role in palliative dysphagia care.

    PubMed

    Kelly, Katherine; Cumming, Steven; Kenny, Belinda; Smith-Merry, Jennifer; Bogaardt, Hans

    2018-06-01

    With an ageing population, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) can expect to encounter legal and ethical challenges associated with palliative and end-of-life care more frequently. An awareness of the medico-legal and ethical framework for palliative dysphagia management will better equip SLPs to work effectively in this area. This narrative review examines a range of legislation, legal, ethical and SLP literature that is currently available to orient SLPs to legal and ethical palliative dysphagia management in the Australian context. Relevant legal and ethical considerations in palliative and end-of-life care are described. SLPs have a role in palliative dysphagia management, however, this can involve unique legal and ethical challenges. The legal position on provision and cessation of nutrition and hydration differs between Australian States and Territories. Decisions by the courts have established a body of relevant case law. This article introduces SLPs to some of the important considerations for legal and ethical palliative care, but is not intended to be directive. SLPs are encouraged to explore their local options for ethical and medico-legal guidance. It is hoped that increasing SLPs awareness of many of the concepts discussed in this article enhances the provision of high-quality patient-centred care.

  10. Conceptualizing boundaries for the professionalization of healthcare ethics practice: a call for empirical research.

    PubMed

    Brown, Nancy C; McGee, Summer Johnson

    2014-12-01

    One of the challenges of modern healthcare ethics practice is the navigation of boundaries. Practicing healthcare ethicists in the performance of their role must navigate meanings, choices, decisions and actions embedded in complex cultural and social relationships amongst diverse individuals. In light of the evolving state of modern healthcare ethics practice and the recent move toward professionalization via certification, understanding boundary navigation in healthcare ethics practice is critical. Because healthcare ethics is endowed with many boundaries which often delineate concerns about professional expertise and authority, epistemological reflection on the relationship between theory and practice points toward the social context as relevant to the conceptualization of boundaries. The skills of social scientists may prove helpful to provide data and insights into the conceptualization and navigation of clinical ethics qua profession. Empirical ethics research, which combines empirical description (usually social scientific) with normative-ethical analysis and reflection, is a way forward as we engage and reflect upon issues which have implications for practice standards and professionalization of the role. This requires cooperative engagement of the descriptive and normative disciplines to explore our understandings of boundaries in healthcare ethics practice. This will contribute to the ongoing reflection not only as we envision the professional role but to ensure that it is enacted in practice.

  11. [Reporting ethics board approval in German medical theses and journals].

    PubMed

    Zenz, Michael; Zenz, Julia; Grieger, Maximilian

    2018-06-05

    Since 1975, the Declaration of Helsinki of the World Medical Association (WMA) has clearly required ethics committee approval for research into humans. Nevertheless, this Declaration is violated quite often. As many English-language publications have addressed the theme of ethics board approval in theses and other published works, it is now to be investigated in Germany for the first time.From 2013 to 2014, a total of 1,482 medical theses at four selected universities in addition to three German-language scientific journals were reviewed. In 543 theses, reference to ethics approval would have been required according to the criteria of the Declaration of Helsinki.However, ethics approval was stated in only 58.7% of cases, and even less frequently if the prevailing doctoral regulations or instructions did not refer to the necessity of obtaining ethics approval. Theses on pediatrics mentioned ethics approval most frequently (78.6%), whereas the proportion of surgical papers was the lowest (34.9%). Among the journals, Der Nervenarzt mentioned ethics approval most frequently (59.4%) and Der Chirurg least frequently (30%).Our results point to significant deficits in mentioning ethics approval in medical theses and publications. These deficits could easily be compensated for by a thorough approach of the referees of doctoral regulations and by journal reviewers and editors.

  12. Contribution of the ethics committee of the French Intensive Care Society to describing a scenario for implementing organ donation after Maastricht type III cardiocirculatory death in France

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    French law allows organ donation after death due to cardiocirculatory arrest. In the Maastricht classification, type III non-heart-beating donors are those who experience cardiocirculatory arrest after the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatments. French authorities in charge of regulating organ donation (Agence de la Biomédecine, ABM) are considering organ collection from Maastricht type III donors. We describe a scenario for Maastricht type III organ donation that fully complies with the ethical norms governing care to dying patients. That organ donation may occur after death should have no impact on the care given to the patient and family. The dead-donor rule must be followed scrupulously: the organ retrieval procedure must neither cause nor hasten death. The decision to withdraw life-sustaining treatments, withdrawal modalities, and care provided to the patient and family must adhere strictly to the requirements set forth in patient-rights legislation (the 2005 Léonetti law in France) and should not be influenced in any way by the possibility of organ donation. A major ethical issue regarding the family is how best to transition from discussing treatment-withdrawal decisions to discussing possible organ retrieval for donation should the patient die rapidly after treatment withdrawal. Close cooperation between the healthcare team and the organ retrieval team is crucial to minimize the distress of family members during this transition. Modalities for implementing Maastricht type III organ donation are discussed here, including the best location for withdrawing life-sustaining treatments (operating room or intensive care unit). PMID:22747673

  13. Quality and safety in the transitional care of the elderly (phase 2): the study protocol of a quasi-experimental intervention study for a cross-level educational programme

    PubMed Central

    Storm, Marianne; Groene, Oliver; Testad, Ingelin; Dyrstad, Dagrunn N; Heskestad, Randi N; Aase, Karina

    2014-01-01

    Introduction Transitional care and patient handover are important areas to ensure quality and safety in elderly healthcare services. Previous studies showed that healthcare professionals have little knowledge of the setting they are transferring patients to and a limited understanding of roles and functions; these constitute barriers to effective communication and shared care responsibilities across levels of care. Aim The main objective is to implement a cross-level education-based intervention programme with healthcare professionals aimed at (1) increasing professionals’ awareness and competencies about quality and safety in the transitional care of the elderly; (2) creating a discussion platform for knowledge exchange and learning across levels and units of care and (3) improving patient safety culture, in particular, in transitional care. Methods and analysis A quasi-experimental control group study design with an intervention group and a control group; this includes a pretest, post-test and 1-year follow-up test assessment of patient safety culture. Qualitative data will be collected during the intervention programme and between the measurements. The study design will be beneficial for addressing the effects of the cross-level educational intervention programme on reports of patient safety culture and for addressing the feasibility of the intervention measures. Ethics and dissemination The study has been approved by the Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics in Norway, Ref. No. 2011/1978. The study is based on informed written consent; informants can withdraw from the study at any point in time. The results will be disseminated at research conferences, in peer review journals and through public presentations outside the scientific community. PMID:25082425

  14. Drawing the line in clinical treatment of companion animals: recommendations from an ethics working party.

    PubMed

    Grimm, Herwig; Bergadano, Alessandra; Musk, Gabrielle C; Otto, Klaus; Taylor, Polly M; Duncan, Juliet Clare

    2018-06-09

    Modern veterinary medicine offers numerous options for treatment and clinicians must decide on the best one to use. Interventions causing short-term harm but ultimately benefitting the animal are often justified as being in the animal's best interest. Highly invasive clinical veterinary procedures with high morbidity and low success rates may not be in the animal's best interest. A working party was set up by the European College of Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia to discuss the ethics of clinical veterinary practice and improve the approach to ethically challenging clinical cases. Relevant literature was reviewed. The 'best interest principle' was translated into norms immanent to the clinic by means of the 'open question argument'. Clinical interventions with potential to cause harm need ethical justification, and suggest a comparable structure of ethical reflection to that used in the context of in vivo research should be applied to the clinical setting. To structure the ethical debate, pertinent questions for ethical decision-making were identified. These were incorporated into a prototype ethical tool developed to facilitate clinical ethical decision-making. The ethical question 'Where should the line on treatment be drawn' should be replaced by 'How should the line be drawn?' © British Veterinary Association (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  15. Reflections on bioethics: consolidation of the principle of autonomy and legal aspects.

    PubMed

    Segre, M

    1999-01-01

    The author highlights the importance of emotions in all ethical reflections. He describes the most common positions of ethicists employing duties and rights as the basis for ethical thought. The author, goes to Freudian theory as viewed by the utilitarians, stating that the 'quest for pleasure' is not necessarily egocentric, especially for adults. For example, the feeling of solidarity emerges 'from the inside out', making irrelevant all the emphasis laid on obedience to duty (from the outside in). The article questions the essence of Kantian theory, based exclusively on 'reason' with disregard for feelings, by establishing what he considers a 'positivist' view of rational thought. It emphasizes the principle of autonomy, which it seen as basically opposing the principles of beneficence and fairness. It is proposed that the latter should be seen as what he calls heteronomy (a concept different from that of the rational ethicists). In theory, autonomy is not assigned to anyone on the basis of an external assessment. Any intervention in individual autonomy must be made (by the intervenor) when it becomes imperative in the defense of social or cultural values. The article distinguishes between ethics and morals) and states that the sole acceptable ethical principle is that ethics (theoretically) has no principle.

  16. The Need for Social Ethics in Interdisciplinary Environmental Science Graduate Programs: Results from a Nation-Wide Survey in the United States.

    PubMed

    Hall, Troy E; Engebretson, Jesse; O'Rourke, Michael; Piso, Zach; Whyte, Kyle; Valles, Sean

    2017-04-01

    Professionals in environmental fields engage with complex problems that involve stakeholders with different values, different forms of knowledge, and contentious decisions. There is increasing recognition of the need to train graduate students in interdisciplinary environmental science programs (IESPs) in these issues, which we refer to as "social ethics." A literature review revealed topics and skills that should be included in such training, as well as potential challenges and barriers. From this review, we developed an online survey, which we administered to faculty from 81 United States colleges and universities offering IESPs (480 surveys were completed). Respondents overwhelmingly agreed that IESPs should address values in applying science to policy and management decisions. They also agreed that programs should engage students with issues related to norms of scientific practice. Agreement was slightly less strong that IESPs should train students in skills related to managing value conflicts among different stakeholders. The primary challenges to incorporating social ethics into the curriculum were related to the lack of materials and expertise for delivery, though challenges such as ethics being marginalized in relation to environmental science content were also prominent. Challenges related to students' interest in ethics were considered less problematic. Respondents believed that social ethics are most effectively delivered when incorporated into existing courses, and they preferred case studies or problem-based learning for delivery. Student competence is generally not assessed, and respondents recognized a need for both curricular materials and assessment tools.

  17. [Retrospections on medical ethics and deontology in Bulgaria].

    PubMed

    Radanov, Stoycho

    2002-01-01

    The paper reviews the emergence and the development of the medical ethics and deontology from the foundations of the Bulgarian state till today. With the foundation of the Bulgarian state / 7th century / the traditions and the culture of Thracians, Slavs and Proto-Bulgarians have mixed, the ethnic rules at the beginning being traditional, closely connected with the customs and the beliefs of the ethnical groups taking part in the ethnogenesis of the Bulgarian people. After the baptizing the Christian faith is in the basis of the moral virtues of the folk healers. After the Liberation from the Turkish yoke the major legal and medical norms are being worked out, the first professional and ethical rules obligatory for all doctors and dentists have been adopted, lecturing on medical deontology and taking a Hippocratic oath have been introduced. During the totalitarian period - immediately after the Second World War the medical ethics and deontology are underestimated to a great extent. A correction is made later on after the Moral Code of the doctor in the Peoples' Republic of Bulgaria, taking of the Hippocratic oath is being renewed, and etc. In the period of democracy fundamental legal and deontological sources are established which are the key means to carry out the health reform, incl. also the deontological aspects of health care. A Code of the professional ethics of the doctors and dentists is adopted, lecturing in medical ethics is introduced, lecturing in deontology is renewed, the Hippocratic oath is being taken, various conventions are being conducted, and etc.

  18. Ethical issues in the transformation of health policy in South Africa.

    PubMed

    Pillay, Y G

    1992-07-01

    There have, of late, been repeated calls for the transformation of the South African health care system. While there are political and economic consequences involved, there are also bio-ethical sequelae. This paper attempts to explore some of the bio-ethical dilemmas that confront both the 'consumers' and the architects of a new health policy (including the State; professional health groupings, e.g. the Medical Association of South Africa; and the so-called progressive health organisations, e.g. the National Medical and Dental Association and the South African Health Workers' Congress). While the literature has focused on libertarian and utilitarian ethical theories, communitarian perspectives are not often mentioned. This paper attempts to redress this perceived deficit.

  19. [Nursing ethics and the access to nursing care].

    PubMed

    Monteverde, Settimio

    2013-08-01

    The increasing number of ethical issues highlighted in everyday nursing care demonstrates the connectedness between nursing ethics and nursing practice. However, what is the role of ethical theories in this context? This question will be examined in this article by analysing the contribution made by the ethics of care, in particular in understandings of gender roles, asymmetries of power, professional knowledge and experience. The adoption and criticism of an emergent nursing ethics is discussed and stated from different viewpoints. The actuality of the caring approach is affirmed by a new reading of the given situation. This article first describes the traditional perception of nurses as marginalised actors in the health sector. By making reference to the current and growing global scarcity of nursing care, it contends that nursing will no longer be marginalised, but instead at the centre of public health attention and reputation. Nevertheless, marginalisation will persist by increasingly affecting the care receivers, especially those groups that are pushed to the fringes by the consequences of the healthcare market, such as persons of extreme old age, suffering from multiple morbidities, or with poor health literacy. Whereas the "classical" understanding of the ethics of care focuses on the nurse-patient relationship and on individual care and understanding of ethics, the new understanding confirms the classical, but adds an understanding of social ethics: caring for the access to care is seen as a main ethical goal of social justice within a nursing ethic.

  20. Reexamining the Ethics of Nuclear Technology.

    PubMed

    Andrianov, Andrei; Kanke, Victor; Kuptsov, Ilya; Murogov, Viktor

    2015-08-01

    This article analyzes the present status, development trends, and problems in the ethics of nuclear technology in light of a possible revision of its conceptual foundations. First, to better recognize the current state of nuclear technology ethics and related problems, this article focuses on presenting a picture of the evolution of the concepts and recent achievements related to technoethics, based on the ethics of responsibility. The term 'ethics of nuclear technology' describes a multidisciplinary endeavor to examine the problems associated with nuclear technology through ethical frameworks and paradigms. Second, to identify the reasons for the intensification of efforts to develop ethics in relation to nuclear technology, this article presents an analysis of the recent situation and future prospects of nuclear technology deployment. This includes contradictions that have aggravated nuclear dilemmas and debates stimulated by the shortcomings of nuclear technology, as well as the need for the further development of a nuclear culture paradigm that is able to provide a conceptual framework to overcome nuclear challenges. Third, efforts in the field of nuclear technology ethics are presented as a short overview of particular examples, and the major findings regarding obstacles to the development of nuclear technology ethics are also summarized. Finally, a potential methodological course is proposed to overcome inaction in this field; the proposed course provides for the further development of nuclear technology ethics, assuming the axiological multidisciplinary problematization of the main concepts in nuclear engineering through the basic ethical paradigms: analytical, hermeneutical, and poststructuralist.

  1. Readiness of ethics review systems for a changing public health landscape in the WHO African Region.

    PubMed

    Motari, Marion; Ota, Martin Okechukwu; Kirigia, Joses Muthuri

    2015-12-02

    The increasing emphasis on research, development and innovation for health in providing solutions to the high burden of diseases in the African Region has warranted a proliferation of studies including clinical trials. This changing public health landscape requires that countries develop adequate ethics review capacities to protect and minimize risks to study participants. Therefore, this study assessed the readiness of national ethics committees to respond to challenges posed by a globalized biomedical research system which is constantly challenged by new public health threats, rapid scientific and technological advancements affecting biomedical research and development, delivery and manufacture of vaccines and therapies, and health technology transfer. This is a descriptive study, which used a questionnaire structured to elicit information on the existence of relevant national legal frameworks, mechanisms for ethical review; as well as capacity requirements for national ethics committees. The questionnaire was available in English and French and was sent to 41 of the then 46 Member States of the WHO African Region, excluding the five Lusophone Member States. Information was gathered from senior officials in ministries of health, who by virtue of their offices were considered to have expert knowledge of research ethics review systems in their respective countries. Thirty three of the 41 countries (80.5 %) responded. Thirty (90.9 %) of respondent countries had a national ethics review committee (NEC); 79 % of which were established by law. Twenty-five (83.3 %) NECs had secretarial and administrative support. Over 50 % of countries with NECs indicated a need for capacity strengthening through periodic training on international guidelines for health research (including clinical trials) ethics; and allocation of funds for administrative and secretariat support. Despite the existing training initiatives, the Region still experiences a shortage of professionals trained in health research ethics/ethicists. Committees continue to face various capacity needs especially for evaluating clinical trials, for monitoring ongoing research, database management and for accrediting institutional ethics committees. Given the growing number of clinical trials involving human participants in the African Region, there is urgent need for supporting countries without NECs to establish them; capacity strengthening where they exist; and creation of a regional network and joint ethical review mechanisms, whose membership would be open to all NECs of the Region.

  2. Moral philosophy in bioethics. Etsi ethos non daretur?

    PubMed

    Pessina, Adriano

    2013-01-01

    In this paper I intend to put forward some criticism of the purely procedural model of bioethics, which, in fact, leads to delegating to biopolitics and biolaw the finding of a purely pragmatic solution to the issues for which bioethics was "invented" over forty years ago. This delegating takes place after the transition from the thesis, dear to modernity, whereby in ethics reasoning should avoid any discussion regarding its foundation or ultimate justification (Etsi Deus non daretur) to the contemporary affirmation of a substantial ethical agnosticism, which, in the name of the incommensurability of morals, should construct procedures as if no sole substantial moral were possible (Etsi ethos non daretur) and act as a guarantor of ethical pluralism. These theses will be discussed and an attempt will be made to demonstrate why it is necessary to establish a link between true and good, and how this is possible only by referring to ontology. The conclusion points to the need to propose bioethics explicitly in terms of content that satisfies the presumed axiological neutrality of procedural bioethics, which however, turns out to be theoretically weak and practically unable to protect the ethical pluralism for which it would like to be the guarantor. The conclusion is that only by referring to ontology can bioethics, which is a fully fledged form of moral philosophy, act as a guarantor of pluralism within the truth and oppose the authoritarian tendencies concealed under the liberal guise of ethical agnosticism.

  3. The four principles: Can they be measured and do they predict ethical decision making?

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background The four principles of Beauchamp and Childress - autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence and justice - have been extremely influential in the field of medical ethics, and are fundamental for understanding the current approach to ethical assessment in health care. This study tests whether these principles can be quantitatively measured on an individual level, and then subsequently if they are used in the decision making process when individuals are faced with ethical dilemmas. Methods The Analytic Hierarchy Process was used as a tool for the measurement of the principles. Four scenarios, which involved conflicts between the medical ethical principles, were presented to participants who then made judgments about the ethicality of the action in the scenario, and their intentions to act in the same manner if they were in the situation. Results Individual preferences for these medical ethical principles can be measured using the Analytic Hierarchy Process. This technique provides a useful tool in which to highlight individual medical ethical values. On average, individuals have a significant preference for non-maleficence over the other principles, however, and perhaps counter-intuitively, this preference does not seem to relate to applied ethical judgements in specific ethical dilemmas. Conclusions People state they value these medical ethical principles but they do not actually seem to use them directly in the decision making process. The reasons for this are explained through the lack of a behavioural model to account for the relevant situational factors not captured by the principles. The limitations of the principles in predicting ethical decision making are discussed. PMID:22606995

  4. The four principles: can they be measured and do they predict ethical decision making?

    PubMed

    Page, Katie

    2012-05-20

    The four principles of Beauchamp and Childress--autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence and justice--have been extremely influential in the field of medical ethics, and are fundamental for understanding the current approach to ethical assessment in health care. This study tests whether these principles can be quantitatively measured on an individual level, and then subsequently if they are used in the decision making process when individuals are faced with ethical dilemmas. The Analytic Hierarchy Process was used as a tool for the measurement of the principles. Four scenarios, which involved conflicts between the medical ethical principles, were presented to participants who then made judgments about the ethicality of the action in the scenario, and their intentions to act in the same manner if they were in the situation. Individual preferences for these medical ethical principles can be measured using the Analytic Hierarchy Process. This technique provides a useful tool in which to highlight individual medical ethical values. On average, individuals have a significant preference for non-maleficence over the other principles, however, and perhaps counter-intuitively, this preference does not seem to relate to applied ethical judgements in specific ethical dilemmas. People state they value these medical ethical principles but they do not actually seem to use them directly in the decision making process. The reasons for this are explained through the lack of a behavioural model to account for the relevant situational factors not captured by the principles. The limitations of the principles in predicting ethical decision making are discussed.

  5. Psychotherapy is an ethical endeavor: Balancing science and humanism in clinical practice.

    PubMed

    Allen, Jon G

    2013-01-01

    The author proposes that psychotherapy is best grounded in scienceinformed humanism and, more specifically, that psychotherapists at least implicitly promote ethical, moral--and indeed, virtuous--behavior. In doing so, therapists are challenged continually to engage in making evaluative moral judgments without being judgmental. He contends that psychotherapists, and psychologists especially, are overly reliant on science and might benefit from being more explicit in their ethical endeavors by being better informed about the illuminating philosophical literature on ethics. He highlights the concept of mentalizing, that is, attentiveness to mental states in self and others, such as needs, feelings, and thoughts. He proposes that mentalizing in the context of attachment relationships is common to all psychotherapies, and that this common process is best understood conjointly from the perspectives of developmental psychology and ethics. The author defends the thesis that employing psychotherapy to promote ethical, moral, and virtuous functioning can be justified on scientific grounds insofar as this functioning is conducive to health.

  6. European survey on ethical and legal framework of clinical trials in paediatrics: results and perspectives.

    PubMed

    Altavilla, Annagrazia; Giaquinto, Carlo; Ceci, Adriana

    2008-09-01

    This article constitutes a synthesis and analysis of the results of the "Survey on the ethical and legal frameworks existing in Europe for paediatric clinical trials" carried out by the European network TEDDY. TEDDY is a "Network of Excellence" funded by the Sixth EU Framework Programme (FP6). It began its activities in June 2005 and it is scheduled to run until 2010. It involves 19 partners in 11 countries. The overall goal of TEDDY is to promote the availability of safe and effective medicines to children in Europe by integrating existing expertise and the good practices. In the domain of ethics, the main aim of TEDDY is raise the awareness of the public and researchers concerning issues linked to biomedical research in paediatrics, by contributing to developing the debate on the ethical and legal stakes, as well as the potential deviations, in order to ensure the best possible protection of children participating in clinical trials. This study, with twenty-seven participating countries (23 EU Member States and 4 countries associated to the Fifth and Sixth EU Framework Programme), proposes to highlight the existing differences in the legislation of European countries concerning the procedure of consent, as well as the guarantee of the paediatric expertise within the Ethics Committees which are in charge of evaluating research protocols. The study shows that, even though the Directive 2001/20/EC has been transposed, the value attributed to the consent of minors who participate in clinical trials is different depending on the European state. Despite the general rule of having the written consent of the legal representative of the minor, over a certain age (different in relation to each state) and under certain conditions, to give the consent alone to participate in biomedical research. Furthermore, there is an Ethics Committee for minors in only four countries. In addition, we illustrate the lack of information and in-depth debate in Europe concerning the ethical stakes of clinical trials in paediatrics. An overview of possible legal deviations is also presented.

  7. Increasing Understanding of Public Problems and Policies, 1994. [National Public Policy Education Conference (44th, Boise, Idaho, September 18-21, 1994).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Halbrook, Steve A., Ed.; Grace, Teddee E., Ed.

    The National Public Policy Education Conference is held annually to improve the policy education efforts of extension workers responsible for public affairs programs. The 1994 conference addressed the following topics: (1) ethical perspectives in public policy education; (2) transition of food and agricultural policy; (3) building human…

  8. Biotechnologies that empower transgender persons to self-actualize as individuals, partners, spouses, and parents are defining new ways to conceive a child: psychological considerations and ethical issues.

    PubMed

    Condat, Agnès; Mendes, Nicolas; Drouineaud, Véronique; Gründler, Nouria; Lagrange, Chrystelle; Chiland, Colette; Wolf, Jean-Philippe; Ansermet, François; Cohen, David

    2018-01-17

    Today, thanks to biomedical technologies advances, some persons with fertility issues can conceive. Transgender persons benefit also from these advances and can not only actualize their self-identified sexual identities but also experience parenthood. Based on clinical multidisciplinary seminars that gathered child psychiatrists and psychoanalysts interested in the fields of assisted reproduction technology (ART) and gender dysphoria, philosophers interested in bioethics, biologists interested in ART, and endocrinologists interested in pubertal suppression, we explore how new biotechnical advances, whether in gender transition or procreation, could create new ways to conceive a child possible. After reviewing the various medical/surgical techniques for physical gender transition and the current ART options, we discuss how these new ways for persons to self-actualize and to experience parenthood can not only improve the condition of transgender persons (and the human condition as a whole through greater equity) but also introduce some elements of change in the habitual patterns of thinking especially in France. Finally, we discuss the ethical issues that accompany the arrival of these children and provide creative solutions to help society handle, accept, and support the advances made in this area.

  9. The Ethical Excesses of Expressionism: A Response to Critiques of Social Rhetorics.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Henning, Teresa

    Social rhetorics have historically and recently been criticized on ethical grounds. According to Kurt Spellmeyer, Cultural "Constructions of Knowledge" are oppressive and often lead to a betrayal of the individual, while Donald Stewart, is of the opinion that the "excesses" of social construction can lead to a police state, the…

  10. Ethical Issues in Pedagogical Documentation: Representations of Children through Digital Technology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lindgren, Anne-Li

    2012-01-01

    Documentation for pedagogical purposes is an increasingly important practice in Sweden, in Europe, and in the United States. This article focuses on the ethical aspects that need to be addressed in documentation practices in preschool. The empirical material is drawn from the blogs of Swedish preschool teachers who recorded their thoughts on…

  11. Socioscience and Ethics in Science Classrooms: Teacher Perspectives and Strategies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sadler, Troy D.; Amirshokoohi, Aidin; Kazempour, Mahsa; Allspaw, Kathleen M.

    2006-01-01

    This study explored teacher perspectives on the use of socioscientific issues (SSI) and on dealing with ethics in the context of science instruction. Twenty-two middle and high school science teachers from three US states participated in semi-structured interviews, and researchers employed inductive analyses to explore emergent patterns relative…

  12. A Phenomenological Inquiry into the Effects of an Ethics Course on Business Degree Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zmuda, Richard John

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of the qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the essential meaning adult business school students attributed to the shared experience of an ethics course they took at California State University Sacramento. The study involved gathering data from recorded and transcribed semistructured interviews with 10 volunteer…

  13. Giving Ourselves: The Ethics of Anatomical Donation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gunderman, Richard B.

    2008-01-01

    In some European countries, such as Italy, medical education is threatened by a dearth of anatomical specimens. Such a shortage could spread to other nations, including the United States. This article addresses two ethical questions in body donation. Why might people choose to donate their bodies to education and science? What sorts of ethical…

  14. Life Design-Ethics-Religion Studies: Non-Confessional RE in Brandenburg (Germany)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kenngott, Eva-Maria

    2017-01-01

    "Life Design-Ethics-Religion Studies" (LER) is the only non-confessional form of religious education (RE) in Germany. Six years after German reunification, the federal state of Brandenburg introduced LER with its dimension of non-confessional RE into the school curriculum. In this contribution, LER will be elucidated in three steps.…

  15. Ethical and Moral Education: A National Case Study of Poland.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Janowski, Andrzej

    This study explores the Polish experience in values education. Between the years 1944 and 1989 Polish education was often state controlled with the sole purpose of subjugating education to Marxist-Leninist ideology. Over the years the communist party's dictates varied in intensity. Despite the party's efforts to prescribe ethics, certain values…

  16. American School Counselor Association Ethical Code Changes Relevant to Family Work

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bodenhorn, Nancy

    2005-01-01

    Professional organizations regularly review and revise their codes of ethics. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) completed this task in June 2004. At the 2004 national conference, the leadership team, consisting of state presidents, past presidents, and president elects, voted to adopt the changes. These changes, as outlined in Table…

  17. Music Education and Ethical Judgment in the Postmodern Condition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Locke, Kirsten A.

    2008-01-01

    In his book "Democracy and Music Education: Liberalism, Ethics, and the Politics of Practice," Paul Woodford issues an invitation for shared dialogue and debate regarding the state of music education in developed countries. Through an appropriation of John Dewey's thoughts regarding a democratic society, Woodford sees great hope for the position…

  18. Are You a Legally Literate School Counselor?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hall, Kimberly R.; Rushing, Jeri L.; Beale, Andrew V.

    2010-01-01

    This exercise is designed to assist school counselors in assessing their knowledge of prevalent ethical and legal issues within the school setting. The aim is to highlight emerging legal and ethical dilemmas and motivate counselors to stay abreast of specific school rules and policies, as well as keep a basic understanding of state and federal…

  19. 22 CFR 1100.1 - Cross-references to employee ethical conduct standards, financial disclosure and financial...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 2 2012-04-01 2009-04-01 true Cross-references to employee ethical conduct standards, financial disclosure and financial interests regulations and other conduct rules. 1100.1 Section 1100.1 Foreign Relations INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY AND WATER COMMISSION, UNITED STATES AND MEXICO, UNITED...

  20. 22 CFR 1100.1 - Cross-references to employee ethical conduct standards, financial disclosure and financial...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Cross-references to employee ethical conduct standards, financial disclosure and financial interests regulations and other conduct rules. 1100.1 Section 1100.1 Foreign Relations INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY AND WATER COMMISSION, UNITED STATES AND MEXICO, UNITED...

  1. Felix Adler's Universal Moral Code: Drama Activities in the Ethical Culture School.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tennyson, Jinni

    2003-01-01

    Discusses how Felix Adler's Ethical Culture School, through its innovative practices, impacts public education and settlement work, and plays a significant role in shaping the methodologies, practices, and content of educational drama in the United States from the inception of the field. Describes the use of story dramatization/storytelling,…

  2. Undocumented Status: Implications for Child Development, Policy, and Ethical Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Suárez-Orozco, Carola; Yoshikawa, Hirokazu

    2013-01-01

    Nearly 5.5 million children in the United States grow up in the shadows of undocumented status. We review the ecological domains of influence in children's and adolescents' lives and briefly consider health, cognitive, socioemotional, educational, and labor market outcomes ripe for study. We also reflect upon the ethical policy…

  3. Ethics and the American Community: Focus on Campaigns & Elections.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Drake Univ., Des Moines, IA. Iowa Center for Law and Civic Education.

    This collection of lesson materials for high school teachers and students focuses on the study of ethics and values that underlie the political process in the United States. The collection is meant to encourage teachers and students to examine the value conflicts that frequently appear in the electoral process and stimulate student thinking about…

  4. What Do You Want to Do Your Life? Ethics and Compulsory Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hodgson, David

    2016-01-01

    From 2004 to 2008, the Western Australian State Government embarked on a period of policy and legislative change to increase the compulsory school-leaving age from 15 to 17. This article adopts a governmental conceptualisation of "ethics" to explore the policy discourses and practices. Drawing on interview and documental data, the…

  5. Schools as Ethical or Schools as Political? Habermas between Dewey and Rawls

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnston, James Scott

    2012-01-01

    Education is oftentimes understood as a deeply ethical practice for the development of the person. Alternatively, education is construed as a state-enforced apparatus for inculcation of specific codes, conventions, beliefs, and norms about social and political practices. Though holding both of these beliefs about education is not necessarily…

  6. Ethics Instruction in Community College Leadership Programs: Southern Perspectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ware, Nikisha Green

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to discover which southern universities have graduate preparatory programs in community college leadership and how, if at all, ethics is addressed in their curricula and in instruction. Surveys were mailed to 38 southern universities located in the Southern Regional Education Board member states. Of the 21 responses…

  7. Evaluating the Effects that Existing Instruction on Responsible Conduct of Research Has on Ethical Decision Making

    PubMed Central

    Antes, Alison L.; Wang, Xiaoqian; Mumford, Michael D.; Brown, Ryan P.; Connelly, Shane; Devenport, Lynn D.

    2015-01-01

    Purpose To examine the effects that existing courses on the responsible conduct of research (RCR) have on ethical decision making by assessing the ethicality of decisions made in response to ethical problems and the underlying processes involved in ethical decision making. These processes included how an individual thinks through ethical problems (i.e., meta-cognitive reasoning strategies) and the emphasis placed on social dimensions of ethical problems (i.e., social–behavioral responses). Method In 2005–2007, recruitment announcements were made, stating that a nationwide, online study was being conducted to examine the impact of RCR instruction on the ethical decision making of scientists. Recruitment yielded contacts with over 200 RCR faculty at 21 research universities and medical schools; 40 (20%) RCR instructors enrolled their courses in the current study. From those courses, 173 participants completed an ethical decision-making measure. Results A mixed pattern of effects emerged. The ethicality of decisions did not improve as a result of RCR instruction and even decreased for decisions pertaining to business aspects of research, such as contract bidding. Course participants improved on some meta-cognitive reasoning strategies, such as awareness of the situation and consideration of personal motivations, but declined for seeking help and considering others’ perspectives. Participants also increased in their endorsement of detrimental social–behavioral responses, such as deception, retaliation, and avoidance of personal responsibility. Conclusions These findings indicated that RCR instruction may not be as effective as intended, and in fact, may even be harmful. Harmful effects might result if instruction leads students to overstress avoidance of ethical problems, be overconfident in their ability to handle ethical problems, or overemphasize their ethical nature. Future research must examine these and other possible obstacles to effective RCR instruction. PMID:20182131

  8. Evaluating the effects that existing instruction on responsible conduct of research has on ethical decision making.

    PubMed

    Antes, Alison L; Wang, Xiaoqian; Mumford, Michael D; Brown, Ryan P; Connelly, Shane; Devenport, Lynn D

    2010-03-01

    To examine the effects that existing courses on the responsible conduct of research (RCR) have on ethical decision making by assessing the ethicality of decisions made in response to ethical problems and the underlying processes involved in ethical decision making. These processes included how an individual thinks through ethical problems (i.e., meta-cognitive reasoning strategies) and the emphasis placed on social dimensions of ethical problems (i.e., social-behavioral responses). In 2005-2007, recruitment announcements were made, stating that a nationwide, online study was being conducted to examine the impact of RCR instruction on the ethical decision making of scientists. Recruitment yielded contacts with over 200 RCR faculty at 21 research universities and medical schools; 40 (20%) RCR instructors enrolled their courses in the current study. From those courses, 173 participants completed an ethical decision-making measure. A mixed pattern of effects emerged. The ethicality of decisions did not improve as a result of RCR instruction and even decreased for decisions pertaining to business aspects of research, such as contract bidding. Course participants improved on some meta-cognitive reasoning strategies, such as awareness of the situation and consideration of personal motivations, but declined for seeking help and considering others' perspectives. Participants also increased their endorsement of detrimental social-behavioral responses, such as deception, retaliation, and avoidance of personal responsibility. These findings indicated that RCR instruction may not be as effective as intended and, in fact, may even be harmful. Harmful effects might result if instruction leads students to overstress avoidance of ethical problems, be overconfident in their ability to handle ethical problems, or overemphasize their ethical nature. Future research must examine these and other possible obstacles to effective RCR instruction.

  9. Ethical conflict in nurse practitioners and physician assistants in managed care.

    PubMed

    Ulrich, Connie M; Danis, Marion; Ratcliffe, Sarah J; Garrett-Mayer, Elizabeth; Koziol, Deloris; Soeken, Karen L; Grady, Christine

    2006-01-01

    More patients are receiving healthcare services from nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs). These providers are likely to be confronted with a variety of ethical issues as they balance quality care with their patients' rising cost concerns. However, very little is known about the ethical conflicts and causes of these conflicts experienced by these clinicians in their daily practice. To identify ethical concerns and conflicts NPs and PAs encounter related to managed care in the delivery of primary care to patients and the factors that influence ethical conflict. A cross-sectional self-administered mailed questionnaire was sent to 3,900 NPs and PAs randomly selected from primary care and primary care subspecialties in the United States (adjusted response rate, 50.6%). Respondents were surveyed on ethical issues and concerns, ethics preparedness, and ethical conflict. Bivariate and multiple linear regression analyses were used to evaluate predictors of ethical conflict. Insurance constraints were reported to have interfered with the ability to provide quality patient care by 72% of respondents, with 55.3% reporting daily to weekly interferences. Nearly half of respondents (47%) have been asked by a patient to mislead insurers to assist them in receiving care. A perceived obligation to advocate for patients, even if it means exaggerating the severity of a patient's condition, was the single most significant predictor of ethical conflict, explaining 25% of the variance. NPs and PAs are experiencing ethical conflict often associated with their perceived professional obligations to advocate for patients. Being well-prepared in ethics and having sufficient professional independence help clinicians balance the ethical complexities and demands of meeting patients' needs within a constrained healthcare system.

  10. Public Health, Ethics, and Autonomous Vehicles

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    With the potential to save nearly 30 000 lives per year in the United States, autonomous vehicles portend the most significant advance in auto safety history by shifting the focus from minimization of postcrash injury to collision prevention. I have delineated the important public health implications of autonomous vehicles and provided a brief analysis of a critically important ethical issue inherent in autonomous vehicle design. The broad expertise, ethical principles, and values of public health should be brought to bear on a wide range of issues pertaining to autonomous vehicles. PMID:28207327

  11. Public Health, Ethics, and Autonomous Vehicles.

    PubMed

    Fleetwood, Janet

    2017-04-01

    With the potential to save nearly 30 000 lives per year in the United States, autonomous vehicles portend the most significant advance in auto safety history by shifting the focus from minimization of postcrash injury to collision prevention. I have delineated the important public health implications of autonomous vehicles and provided a brief analysis of a critically important ethical issue inherent in autonomous vehicle design. The broad expertise, ethical principles, and values of public health should be brought to bear on a wide range of issues pertaining to autonomous vehicles.

  12. Reporting by Physicians of Impaired Drivers and Potentially Impaired Drivers

    PubMed Central

    Berger, Jeffrey T; Rosner, Fred; Kark, Pieter; Bennett, Allen J

    2000-01-01

    Physicians routinely care for patients whose ability to operate a motor vehicle is compromised by a physical or cognitive condition. Physician management of this health information has ethical and legal implications. These concerns have been insufficiently addressed by professional organizations and public agencies. The legal status in the United States and Canada of reporting of impaired drivers is reviewed. The American Medical Association's position is detailed. Finally, the Bioethics Committee of the Medical Society of the State of New York proposes elements for an ethically defensible public response to this problem. PMID:11029682

  13. Global pharmaceutical development and access: critical issues of ethics and equity.

    PubMed

    Lage, Agustín

    2011-07-01

    The article presents global data on access to pharmaceuticals and discusses underlying barriers. Two are highly visible: pricing policies and intellectual property rights; two are less recognized: the regulatory environment and scientific and technological capacities. Two ongoing transitions influence and even distort the problem of universal access to medications: the epidemiologic transition to an increasing burden of chronic non-communicable diseases; and the growing role of biotechnology products (especially immunobiologicals) in the pharmacopeia. Examples from Cuba and Brazil are used to explore what can and should be done to address commercial, regulatory, and technological aspects of assuring universal access to medications.

  14. Evaluating a dental practice for purchase or associateship.

    PubMed

    Diecidue, Robert J

    2008-07-01

    Private dental practice can be achieved through either outright ownership or an associateship in conjunction with senior dentists; the decision depends on personal and professional objectives and goals. Once a decision is made, the time and effort required to identify an appropriate practice, negotiate the terms of purchase or associateship, and transition to the new practice can be daunting. This article reviews the process and provides an overview of the general steps involved in the evaluation of a dental practice for purchase or associateship. With appropriate knowledge and preparation, due diligence, and ethical and sensitive behavior, transitioning to private practice can be successful and lead to professional and personal fulfillment.

  15. Ethical issues in paleopathological and anthropological research experiences.

    PubMed

    Licata, Marta; Monza, Francesca

    2017-10-23

    In recent years, archaeologists and anthropologists involved in the study of human remains have had to take into consideration ethical issues, which have come to the fore. The aim of this study is to illustrate the ethical and religious issues involved in relation to the positions of researchers. Ethical issues involve the different study phases of human remains: archaeological excavation, anthropological analysis and, finally, museum display. Osteoarchaeological remains may find a place in museums. However, in recent years, even the display of human remains museum has had to face new important ethical issue involving previously ignored or neglected aspect. The adoption of Native American Grave Protection Act in 1990 in the United States and the Human Tissue Act in 2004 in England, has created new scenarios relating to the storage of human remains in museum. All this caused a series of changes in the study of human remains, but many issues remain open to debate.

  16. Occupational health practice and exposure to nanoparticles: reconciling scientific evidence, ethical aspects, and legal requirements.

    PubMed

    Franco, Giuliano

    2011-01-01

    The paper aims at focusing the relationship between scientific evidence and ethical values' issues of occupational health practice according to the new Italian law 81/2008 stating that the occupational health physician (OHP) is required to act according to the Code of Ethics of the International Commission on Occupational Health. The code itself emphasizes that (i) the practice should be relevant, knowledge-based, sound, and appropriate to the occupational risks and (ii) the objectives and methods of health surveillance must be clearly defined. Because exposure to nanoparticles involves several uncertainties about health effects and may limit the effectiveness of workers' health surveillance, OHPs face a several ethical dilemmas, involving different stakeholders. The dilemmas arising from the practice should be dealt with according to the ethical principles of beneficence, autonomy, and justice in order to take a decision.

  17. Teaching research ethics better: focus on excellent science, not bad scientists.

    PubMed

    Yarborough, Mark; Hunter, Lawrence

    2013-06-01

    A recent report of the United States' Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues highlights how important it is for the research community to enjoy the "earned confidence" of the public and how creating a "culture of responsibility" can contribute to that confidence. It identifies a major role for "creative, flexible, and innovative" ethics education in creating such a culture. Other recent governmental reports from various nations similarly call for a renewed emphasis on ethics education in the sciences. We discuss why some common approaches to ethics education in the graduate sciences fail to meet the goals envisioned in the reports and we describe an approach, animated by primary attention on excellent science as opposed to bad scientists, that we have employed in our ethics teaching that we think is better suited for inspiring and sustaining responsible, trustworthy science. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. Study on the ethical concepts of the Japanese writer Yukio Mishima, ultra-nationalist.

    PubMed

    Yamamoto, K

    2000-12-01

    After WWII, ultra-nationalism, which was the leading ideology of wartime Japan, seemed to have lost its power to inspire the Japanese. In the 1960s, when the Japanese began to enjoy economic prosperity, Yukio Mishima, deploring that the Japanese were losing the traditional spirit and morality of the nation, was one of those citizens who felt a strong nostalgia for wartime Japan. In an attempt to revive the spiritual exaltation of wartime Japan, Mishima took radical action as an ultra-nationalist, and killed himself by Hara-kiri. Mishima's ethical concepts, which center on the ethos of warriors who dedicate themselves to the defense of their commune, have structural similarities to the ethical structure of the Kanun, which may be called the ethics of "blood". Mishima's theory of ultra-nationalism has a paradoxical logic, which seems to be related to the ethical concepts of a society without state power.

  19. Ethics and subsequent use of electronic health record data.

    PubMed

    Lee, Lisa M

    2017-07-01

    The digital health landscape in the United States is evolving and electronic health record data hold great promise for improving health and health equity. Like many scientific and technological advances in health and medicine, there exists an exciting narrative about what we can do with the new technology, as well as reflection about what we should do with it based on what we value. Ethical reflections about the use of EHR data for research and quality improvement have considered the important issues of privacy and informed consent for subsequent use of data. Additional ethical aspects are important in the conversation, including data validity, patient obligation to participate in the learning health system, and ethics integration into training for all personnel who interact with personal health data. Attention to these ethical issues is paramount to our realizing the benefits of electronic health data. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  20. Animal minds and neuroimaging--bridging the gap between science and ethics?

    PubMed

    Buller, Tom

    2014-04-01

    As Colin Allen has argued, discussions between science and ethics about the mentality and moral status of nonhuman animals often stall on account of the fact that the properties that ethics presents as evidence of animal mentality and moral status, namely consciousness and sentience, are not observable "scientifically respectable" properties. In order to further discussion between science and ethics, it seems, therefore, that we need to identify properties that would satisfy both domains. In this article I examine the mentality and moral status of nonhuman animals from the perspective of neuroethics. By adopting this perspective, we can see how advances in neuroimaging regarding (1) research into the neurobiology of pain, (2) "brain reading," and (3) the minimally conscious state may enable us to identify properties that help bridge the gap between science and ethics, and hence help further the debate about the mentality and moral status of nonhuman animals.

  1. [Ethical aspects of human embryonic stem cell use and commercial umbilical cord blood stem cell banking. Ethical reflections on the occasion of the regulation of the European Council and Parliament on advanced therapy medicinal products].

    PubMed

    Virt, G

    2010-01-01

    The regulation of the European Council and Parliament on advanced therapy medicinal products also includes therapies with human embryonic stem cells. The use of these stem cells is controversially and heavily discussed. Contrary to the use of adult stem cells, medical and ethical problems concerning the use of human embryonic stem cells persists, because this use is based on the destruction of human life at the very beginning. The regulation foresees, therefore, subsidiarity within the European Member States. Although there are no ethical problems in principle with the use of stem cells from the umbilical cord blood, there are social ethical doubts with the banking of these stem cells for autologous use without any currently foreseeable medical advantage by commercial blood banks. Also in this case subsidiarity is valid.

  2. The History of Ethics and Professionalism within Optometry in the United States of America 1898-2015, Part 1.

    PubMed

    Bailey, R Norman

    2016-01-01

    The history surrounding the development of codes of ethics and other official statements of desired professional conduct adopted by the American Optometric Association (AOA) reveals the struggle optometry faced in the United States ofAmerica (USA) in establishing itself as a leading primary health care profession. Information regarding the events and documents reported in this paper were obtained through research of the historical literature and archival material held in The Archives & Museum of Optometry at the American Optometric Association's headquarters at 243 N. Lindbergh Boulevard, St. Louis, MO; through current Association documents; and from discussions with those participating in the drafting of the more recent updates to the Association's ethical statements; codes, oaths, standards, and resolutions. This writing is an update to an earlier paper by the author, The history of ethics in the American Optometric Association 1898-1994. J Am Optom Assoc 1994; 65:427-444, which was written to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the then current Code of Ethics of the AOA. An additional purpose of this present writing is to help the reader understand, from a historical perspective, some of the driving forces and imperatives for the advancement of optometry's professional stature. Forces outside as well as within the profession were found to have influenced the drafting and redrafting of the official ethical and professional conduct statements meant to guide the professional behavior of the membership of the AOA. Ethical codes and other statements of desired conduct have been essential to the establishment of the profession of optometry. As optometry has grown and matured as a provider of primary eye and vision care services, so have its ethical emphases. To further understand the ethical and legal challenges for optometry as it worked to establish itself as a reputable profession, it is suggested the reader investigate in more detail the information provided in the references. Any views expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Optometric Association.

  3. Acclimating international graduate students to professional engineering ethics.

    PubMed

    Newberry, Byron; Austin, Katherine; Lawson, William; Gorsuch, Greta; Darwin, Thomas

    2011-03-01

    This article describes the education portion of an ongoing grant-sponsored education and research project designed to help graduate students in all engineering disciplines learn about the basic ethical principles, rules, and obligations associated with engineering practice in the United States. While the curriculum developed for this project is used for both domestic and international students, the educational materials were designed to be sensitive to the specific needs of international graduate students. In recent years, engineering programs in the United States have sought to develop a larger role for professional ethics education in the curriculum. Accreditation requirements, as well as pressures from the private sector, have helped facilitate this shift in focus. Almost half of all engineering graduate students in the U.S. are international students. Further, research indicates that the majority of these students will remain in the U.S. to work post-graduation. It is therefore in the interest of the profession that these students, coming from diverse backgrounds, receive some formal exposure to the professional and ethical expectations and norms of the engineering profession in the United States to help ensure that they have the knowledge and skills--non-technical as well as technical--required in today's engineering profession. In becoming acculturated to professional norms in a host country, international students face challenges that domestic students do not encounter; such as cultural competency, language proficiency, and acculturation stress. Mitigating these challenges must be a consideration in the development of any effective education materials. The present article discusses the project rationale and describes the development of on-line instructional materials aimed at helping international engineering graduate students acclimate to professional engineering ethics standards in the United States. Finally, a brief data summary of students' perceptions of the usefulness of the content and instructional interface is provided to demonstrate the initial effectiveness of the materials and to present a case for project sustainability.

  4. Ethics for pandemics beyond influenza: Ebola, drug-resistant tuberculosis, and anticipating future ethical challenges in pandemic preparedness and response.

    PubMed

    Smith, Maxwell J; Silva, Diego S

    2015-01-01

    The unprecedented outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in West Africa has raised several novel ethical issues for global outbreak preparedness. It has also illustrated that familiar ethical issues in infectious disease management endure despite considerable efforts to understand and mitigate such issues in the wake of past outbreaks. To improve future global outbreak preparedness and response, we must examine these shortcomings and reflect upon the current state of ethical preparedness. To this end, we focus our efforts in this article on the examination of one substantial area: ethical guidance in pandemic plans. We argue that, due in part to their focus on considerations arising specifically in relation to pandemics of influenza origin, pandemic plans and their existing ethical guidance are ill-equipped to anticipate and facilitate the navigation of unique ethical challenges that may arise in other infectious disease pandemics. We proceed by outlining three reasons why this is so, and situate our analysis in the context of the EVD outbreak and the threat posed by drug-resistant tuberculosis: (1) different infectious diseases have distinct characteristics that challenge anticipated or existing modes of pandemic prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery, (2) clear, transparent, context-specific ethical reasoning and justification within current influenza pandemic plans are lacking, and (3) current plans neglect the context of how other significant pandemics may manifest. We conclude the article with several options for reflecting upon and ultimately addressing ethical issues that may emerge with different infectious disease pandemics.

  5. Ethics Requirement Score: new tool for evaluating ethics in publications.

    PubMed

    Santos, Lígia Gabrielle dos; Costa e Fonseca, Ana Carolina da; Bica, Claudia Giuliano

    2014-01-01

    To analyze ethical standards considered by health-related scientific journals, and to prepare the Ethics Requirement Score, a bibliometric index to be applied to scientific healthcare journals in order to evaluate criteria for ethics in scientific publication. Journals related to healthcare selected by the Journal of Citation Reports™ 2010 database were considered as experimental units. Parameters related to publication ethics were analyzed for each journal. These parameters were acquired by analyzing the author's guidelines or instructions in each journal website. The parameters considered were approval by an Internal Review Board, Declaration of Helsinki or Resolution 196/96, recommendations on plagiarism, need for application of Informed Consent Forms with the volunteers, declaration of confidentiality of patients, record in the database for clinical trials (if applicable), conflict of interest disclosure, and funding sources statement. Each item was analyzed considering their presence or absence. The foreign journals had a significantly higher Impact Factor than the Brazilian journals, however, no significant results were observed in relation to the Ethics Requirement Score. There was no correlation between the Ethics Requirement Score and the Impact Factor. Although the Impact Factor of foreigner journals was considerably higher than that of the Brazilian publications, the results showed that the Impact Factor has no correlation with the proposed score. This allows us to state that the ethical requirements for publication in biomedical journals are not related to the comprehensiveness or scope of the journal.

  6. Ethics in the marketing of medical services.

    PubMed

    Latham, Stephen R

    2004-09-01

    This paper deals with the ethics of marketing medical services by physicians, medical groups, hospitals and other mainstream medical caregivers in the United States. It does not deal with pharmaceutical marketing, since that raises a number of special issues, some of them legal and some having to do with the unique culture of pharmaceutical marketing, which really ought to be dealt with separately. Nor does it touch on the little-explored field of marketing alternative and complementary medicine. It begins with a general description of what is included in "the marketing process." It then briefly tours some of the difficulties faced by those who would market medical services ethically, and ends with some comments on the relevance of professionalism to ethical marketing.

  7. Factors Associated with Research Wrongdoing in Nigeria

    PubMed Central

    Adeleye, Omokhoa A.; Adebamowo, Clement A.

    2013-01-01

    Concerns about research wrongdoing in biomedical research are growing in developing countries, where research ethics training and research regulatory systems are just emerging. In a first-time study in Africa, medical/dental researchers (N = 132) in two states in Nigeria were interviewed on a wide range of research wrongdoings and potential predictors. Using multivariate logistic regression, significant predictors of research wrongdoing were identified. Some 22.0% admitted to at least one of fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism, the predictors of which were knowledge gaps in research ethics and pressure to publish enough papers for promotion. Acknowledging inadequate knowledge of research ethics was a predictor of admitting a wrongdoing. Systems that support ethical research, including skilled training and funding, are recommended. PMID:23324199

  8. Ethical issues in research with children and young people.

    PubMed

    Matutina, Robin E

    2009-10-01

    This article, which concentrates largely on literature from the United States, discusses the ethical aspects of research with children, beginning with the historical ill-treatment of children and extending to the present-day protections. Researchers struggle to find the balance that would most benefit this vulnerable population. Children must be protected but society deserves the knowledge that can only be gained through child-specific research. Ethical questions arise through the presentation of historical and current cases of children involved in or excluded from research. Examples of ethical dilemmas are presented in an effort to allow the reader to learn from the past while seeking to provide research-based care today. Strategies are included to help safeguard the autonomy of the child who participates in research.

  9. The ethics of sin taxes.

    PubMed

    Green, Rebecca

    2011-01-01

    ABSTRACT The current global economic crisis is forcing governments to consider a variety of methods to generate funds for infrastructure. In the United States, smoking-related illness and an obesity epidemic are forcing public health institutions to consider a variety of methods to influence health behaviors of entire target groups. In this paper, the author uses a public health nursing model, the Public Health Code of Ethics (Public Health Leadership Society, 2002), the American Nurses' Association (ANA) Code of Ethics (2001), and other relevant ethical theory to weigh and balance the arguments for and against the use of sin taxes. A position advocating the limited use of sin taxes is supported as a reasonable stance for the public health professional. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  10. Ethics teaching in a medical education environment: preferences for diversity of learning and assessment methods.

    PubMed

    AlMahmoud, Tahra; Hashim, M Jawad; Elzubeir, Margaret Ann; Branicki, Frank

    2017-01-01

    Ethics and professionalism are an integral part of medical school curricula; however, medical students' views on these topics have not been assessed in many countries.  The study aimed to examine medical students' perceptions toward ethics and professionalism teaching, and its learning and assessment methods. A self-administered questionnaire eliciting views on professionalism and ethics education was distributed to a total of 128 final-year medical students. A total of 108 students completed the survey, with an 84% response rate. Medical students reported frequently encountering ethical conflicts during training but stated only a moderate level of ethics training at medical school (mean = 5.14 ± 1.8). They noted that their education had helped somewhat to deal with ethical conflicts (mean = 5.39 ± 2.0). Students strongly affirmed the importance of ethics education (mean = 7.63 ± 1.03) and endorsed the value of positive role models (mean = 7.45 ± 1.5) as the preferred learning method. The cohort voiced interest in direct faculty supervision as an approach to assessment of knowledge and skills (mean = 7.62 ± 1.26). Female students perceived greater need for more ethics education compared to males (p = < 0.05). Students who claimed that they had experienced some unprofessional treatment had a more limited view of the importance of ethics as a subject (P = 0.001). Medical students viewed ethics education positively and preferred clinically attuned methods for learning.

  11. From Paper to Practice; Indexing Systems and Ethical Standards.

    PubMed

    Astaneh, Behrooz; Masoumi, Sarah

    2018-04-01

    Currently one of the main goals of editors is to attain a higher visibility for their journals. On the other hand, authors strive to publish their research in journals indexed in eminent databases such as Scopus, Thompson Reuters' Web of Science (ISI), Medline, etc. Therefore, clarifying the standards of indexing is of great importance. One of the most important issues in publication is the ethical considerations, which are mainly described by organizations, such as the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors and the Committee on Publication Ethics. In this study, we examined the ethical requirements of high impact databases for indexing journals to investigate whether they mention or mandate journals to adhere to publication ethics. We found that only Scopus mandated journals to state clear ethical policies on their website as a criterion for being indexed while Medline and Directory of Open Access Journals advised journals to adhere to ethics, not mandated, and Web of Science (ISI) and PubMed Central made no mention of ethics as a required criterion for indexing. Based on this short review, there seems to be a gap between the requirements of indexing systems and international guidelines for publication ethics. Currently, most indexing systems have only partially recommended journals to consider ethical issues. In such an atmosphere, we cannot expect journals or as a result, authors to professionally, completely, and whole heartedly implement ethical guidelines as a mandatory rule in their journals and research, when the indexing systems that most editors want to be indexed in and most authors want to be cited in do not mandate such guidelines.

  12. Islamic medical ethics in the 20th century.

    PubMed Central

    Rispler-Chaim, V

    1989-01-01

    While the practice of Western medicine is known today to doctors of all ethnic and religious groups, its standards are subject to the availability of resources. The medical ethics guiding each doctor is influenced by his/her religious or cultural background or affiliation, and that is where diversity exists. Much has been written about Jewish and Christian medical ethics. Islamic medical ethics has never been discussed as an independent field of ethics, although several selected topics, especially those concerning sexuality, birth control and abortions, have been more discussed than others. Islamic medical ethics in the 20th century will be characterised on the basis of Egyptian fatawa (legal opinions) issued by famous Muslim scholars and several doctors. Some of the issues discussed by Islamic medical ethics are universal: abortions, organ transplants, artificial insemination, cosmetic surgery, doctor-patient relations, etc. Other issues are typically Islamic, such as impediments to fasting in Ramadan, diseases and physical conditions that cause infringement of the state of purity, medicines containing alcohol, etc. Muslims' attitudes to both types of ethical issues often prove that pragmatism prevails and the aim is to seek a compromise between Islamic heritage and the achievements of modern medicine, as long as basic Islamic dogma is not violated. PMID:2614792

  13. Human research ethics committees in technical universities.

    PubMed

    Koepsell, David; Brinkman, Willem-Paul; Pont, Sylvia

    2014-07-01

    Human research ethics has developed in both theory and practice mostly from experiences in medical research. Human participants, however, are used in a much broader range of research than ethics committees oversee, including both basic and applied research at technical universities. Although mandated in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, non-medical research involving humans need not receive ethics review in much of Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Our survey of the top 50 technical universities in the world shows that, where not specifically mandated by law, most technical universities do not employ ethics committees to review human studies. As the domains of basic and applied sciences expand, ethics committees are increasingly needed to guide and oversee all such research regardless of legal requirements. We offer as examples, from our experience as an ethics committee in a major European technical university, ways in which such a committee provides needed services and can help ensure more ethical studies involving humans outside the standard medical context. We provide some arguments for creating such committees, and in our supplemental article, we provide specific examples of cases and concerns that may confront technical, engineering, and design research, as well as outline the general framework we have used in creating our committee. © The Author(s) 2014.

  14. When ethics constrains clinical research: trial design of control arms in "greater than minimal risk" pediatric trials.

    PubMed

    de Melo-Martín, Inmaculada; Sondhi, Dolan; Crystal, Ronald G

    2011-09-01

    For more than three decades clinical research in the United States has been explicitly guided by the idea that ethical considerations must be central to research design and practice. In spite of the centrality of this idea, attempting to balance the sometimes conflicting values of advancing scientific knowledge and protecting human subjects continues to pose challenges. Possible conflicts between the standards of scientific research and those of ethics are particularly salient in relation to trial design. Specifically, the choice of a control arm is an aspect of trial design in which ethical and scientific issues are deeply entwined. Although ethical quandaries related to the choice of control arms may arise when conducting any type of clinical trials, they are conspicuous in early phase gene transfer trials that involve highly novel approaches and surgical procedures and have children as the research subjects. Because of children's and their parents' vulnerabilities, in trials that investigate therapies for fatal, rare diseases affecting minors, the scientific and ethical concerns related to choosing appropriate controls are particularly significant. In this paper we use direct gene transfer to the central nervous system to treat late infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis to illustrate some of these ethical issues and explore possible solutions to real and apparent conflicts between scientific and ethical considerations.

  15. Physicians’ Ethical Dilemmas in the Context of Anti-Doping Practices

    PubMed Central

    Ekmekci, Perihan Elif

    2016-01-01

    The World Anti-Doping Code states that, there is an intrinsic value about sports that is the celebration of the human spirit, body and mind, and is reflected in values other than winning or being the first in any sports game. The spirit of sports includes ethics, fair play and honesty. Anti-doping practices are based on this ethical ground and supported all through the world. However, recently with the arguments that there is no substantial definition of the term “spirit of sports”, and that the fights against doping is based on questionable ethical grounds consisting of dubious claims about fairness in sports and terms such as “level playing field”. Medical ethics is involved in this discussion because of the crucial role of physicians in anti-doping policies and practices as well as developing and administering ergogenic substances or methods for athletes. This role of physicians raises ethical questions regarding physician-patient relationship, principle of non-male ficence, privacy and confidentiality of patient, and fairness and justice in the macro allocation of resources. The aim of this paper is to discuss ethical arguments on anti-doping practices and policies and, to further evaluate current anti-doping practices in the context of medical ethics. PMID:28070567

  16. A qualitative description of service providers' experiences of ethical issues in HIV care.

    PubMed

    Sabone, Motshedisi B; Mogobe, Keitshokile Dintle; Matshediso, Ellah; Shaibu, Sheila; Ntsayagae, Esther I; Corless, Inge B; Cuca, Yvette P; Holzemer, William L; Dawson-Rose, Carol; Baez, Solymar S Soliz; Rivero-Mendz, Marta; Webel, Allison R; Eller, Lucille Sanzero; Reid, Paula; Johnson, Mallory O; Kemppainen, Jeanne; Reyes, Darcel; Nokes, Kathleen; Wantland, Dean; Nicholas, Patrice K; Lingren, Teri; Portillo, Carmen J; Sefcik, Elizabeth; Long-Middleton, Ellen

    2018-01-01

    Managing HIV treatment is a complex multi-dimensional task because of a combination of factors such as stigma and discrimination of some populations who frequently get infected with HIV. In addition, patient-provider encounters have become increasingly multicultural, making effective communication and provision of ethically sound care a challenge. This article explores ethical issues that health service providers in the United States and Botswana encountered in their interaction with patients in HIV care. A descriptive qualitative design was used to collect data from health service providers and patients using focused group discussions. This article is based on responses from health service providers only. Participants and context: This article is based on 11 focused group discussions with a total sample of 71 service providers in seven US sites and one Botswana site. Ethical considerations: Ethical review boards at all the study sites reviewed the study protocol and approved it. Ethical review boards of the study's coordinating centers, Rutgers University and the University of California at San Francisco, also approved it. The study participants provided a written informed consent to participate. HIV service providers encountered ethical challenges in all the four Beauchamp and Childress' biomedical ethics of respect for patients' autonomy, beneficence, justice, and nonmaleficence. The finding that HIV service providers encounter ethical challenges in their interaction with patients is supported by prior studies. The ethical challenges are particularly prominent in multicultural care and resource-constrained care environments. Provision of HIV care is fraught with ethical challenges that tend to pose different issues depending on a given care environment. It is important that strong partnerships are developed among key stakeholders in HIV care. In addition, health service providers need to be provided with resources so they can provide quality and ethically sound care.

  17. Ethics and Rationing Access to Dialysis in Resource-Limited Settings: The Consequences of Refusing a Renal Transplant in the South African State Sector.

    PubMed

    Etheredge, Harriet; Paget, Graham

    2015-12-01

    Resource constraints in developing countries compel policy makers to ration the provision of healthcare services. This article examines one such set of Guidelines: A patient dialysing in the state sector in South Africa may not refuse renal transplantation when a kidney becomes available. Refusal of transplantation can lead to exclusion from the state-funded dialysis programme. This Guideline is legally acceptable as related to Constitutional stipulations which allow for rationing healthcare resources in South Africa. Evaluating the ethical merit of the Guideline, and exploring the ethical dilemma it poses, proves a more complex task. We examine the actions of healthcare professionals as constrained by the Guideline. From a best interests framework, we argue that in these circumstances directing patient decision making (pressurising a patient to undergo renal transplantation) is not necessarily unethical or unacceptably paternalistic. We then scrutinise the guideline itself through several different ethical 'lenses'. Here, we argue that bioethics does not provide a definitive answer as to the moral merit of rationing dialysis under these circumstances, however it can be considered just in this context. We conclude by examining a potential pitfall of the Guideline: Unwilling transplant recipients may not comply with immunosuppressive medication, which raises questions for policies based on resource management and rationing. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. When Is It Ethical to Inform Administrators about Student Risk-Taking Behaviors? Perceptions of School Counselors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moyer, Michael S.; Sullivan, Jeremy R.; Growcock, David

    2012-01-01

    School counselors from across the United States responded to a survey asking when they should break confidentiality and report student risk-taking behaviors to school administrators. Generally, counselors believed it to be more ethical to break confidentiality when the behaviors were directly observed (as opposed to reported by students) and when…

  19. Preparing for Ethical Leadership: A Longitudinal Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Myers, Lewis A., Jr.

    2015-01-01

    According to Johnson (2001) and Rest (1979) a leader who has developed a high level of moral reasoning will tend to make decisions that are better from an ethical/moral perspective than a leader who has achieved a lower level of moral reasoning. The mission statement at this university states that graduates will be prepared through training in…

  20. The Role of Academic Psychiatry Faculty in the Treatment and Subsequent Evaluation and Promotion of Medical Students: An Ethical Conundrum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kavan, Michael G.; Malin, Paula Jo; Wilson, Daniel R.

    2008-01-01

    Objectives: This article explores ethical and practical issues associated with the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) provision that states health professionals who provide psychiatric/psychological care to medical students must have no involvement in the academic evaluation or promotion of students receiving those services. Method: The…

  1. Toward a Borderlands Ethics: The Undocumented Migrant and Haunted Communities in Contemporary Chicana/o Fiction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ramirez, Pablo A.

    2010-01-01

    By reading Helena Maria Viramontes's "Cariboo Cafe" and Daniel Chacon's "Godoy Lives," this essay argues that Chicana/o fiction articulates what I call a "borderlands ethics." Both Viramontes and Chacon give the undocumented migrant the power to merge the United States and Latin America, self and other, citizen and…

  2. The Potential of Applying Judeo-Christian Ethics to Tax Policy in Foreign Countries

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hamill, Susan Pace

    2008-01-01

    This article extends the author's previous domestic analysis of tax policy and education finance under the moral principles of Judeo-Christian ethics to the international arena, beginning with an examination of the English-speaking OECD countries, which are the most economically and culturally similar to the United States. Although the tax and…

  3. The Work Values of Japanese Women.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Engel, John W.

    Empirical studies of Japanese work ethics have tended to focus on male workers while neglecting women. In addition, work values in both Japan and the United States appear to be changing. More information is needed on the work values of American and Japanese female workers. A study was conducted to explore the work ethics of Japanese women and to…

  4. Organizational Ethics Education and Training: A Review of Best Practices and Their Application

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sekerka, Leslie E.

    2009-01-01

    Insuring that ethical action remains a vibrant aspect of an organization's climate and culture is an ongoing challenge for those responsible for training and development. To better understand what best practices are being utilized today, eight organizations in the Silicon Valley region of the United States were studied. Findings suggest that…

  5. Team-Based Simulation: Toward Developing Ethical Guidelines among American and Israeli Teachers in Jewish Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shapira-Lishchinsky, Orly; Glanz, Jeffrey; Shaer, Anat

    2016-01-01

    This study attempts to explore Israeli and American teachers' perceptions based on their ethical dilemmas in Jewish schools. A cross-national study was undertaken in Jewish schools, examining fifty teachers from Israel and fifty-one teachers from the United States. Designed with team-based simulations, this study revealed strong similarities…

  6. Gender Differences in Perceptions of Ethics among Teacher Education Students at San Diego State University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kegler, Dorothy E.

    2011-01-01

    The Problem: The purpose of this study was to determine if there were significant differences between male and female college students' perceptions on a survey of ethics. Method: A quasi-experimental research design was administered with gender as the primary independent variable. Approximately 100 students from the School of Education Program…

  7. 5 CFR 2641.204 - One-year restriction on any former senior employee's representations to former agency concerning...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ....204 Section 2641.204 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS GOVERNMENT ETHICS POST... termination or dispersion of the agency's functions, and other factors as may be appropriate. (A) Agency... accepts a senior employee position at the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) where she...

  8. 5 CFR 2641.204 - One-year restriction on any former senior employee's representations to former agency concerning...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ....204 Section 2641.204 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS GOVERNMENT ETHICS POST... termination or dispersion of the agency's functions, and other factors as may be appropriate. (A) Agency... accepts a senior employee position at the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) where she...

  9. 5 CFR 2641.204 - One-year restriction on any former senior employee's representations to former agency concerning...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ....204 Section 2641.204 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS GOVERNMENT ETHICS POST... termination or dispersion of the agency's functions, and other factors as may be appropriate. (A) Agency... accepts a senior employee position at the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) where she...

  10. 5 CFR 2641.204 - One-year restriction on any former senior employee's representations to former agency concerning...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ....204 Section 2641.204 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS GOVERNMENT ETHICS POST... termination or dispersion of the agency's functions, and other factors as may be appropriate. (A) Agency... accepts a senior employee position at the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) where she...

  11. 5 CFR 2641.204 - One-year restriction on any former senior employee's representations to former agency concerning...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ....204 Section 2641.204 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS GOVERNMENT ETHICS POST... termination or dispersion of the agency's functions, and other factors as may be appropriate. (A) Agency... accepts a senior employee position at the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) where she...

  12. Variability in research ethics review of cluster randomized trials: a scenario-based survey in three countries

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Cluster randomized trials (CRTs) present unique ethical challenges. In the absence of a uniform standard for their ethical design and conduct, problems such as variability in procedures and requirements by different research ethics committees will persist. We aimed to assess the need for ethics guidelines for CRTs among research ethics chairs internationally, investigate variability in procedures for research ethics review of CRTs within and among countries, and elicit research ethics chairs’ perspectives on specific ethical issues in CRTs, including the identification of research subjects. The proper identification of research subjects is a necessary requirement in the research ethics review process, to help ensure, on the one hand, that subjects are protected from harm and exploitation, and on the other, that reviews of CRTs are completed efficiently. Methods A web-based survey with closed- and open-ended questions was administered to research ethics chairs in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The survey presented three scenarios of CRTs involving cluster-level, professional-level, and individual-level interventions. For each scenario, a series of questions was posed with respect to the type of review required (full, expedited, or no review) and the identification of research subjects at cluster and individual levels. Results A total of 189 (35%) of 542 chairs responded. Overall, 144 (84%, 95% CI 79 to 90%) agreed or strongly agreed that there is a need for ethics guidelines for CRTs and 158 (92%, 95% CI 88 to 96%) agreed or strongly agreed that research ethics committees could be better informed about distinct ethical issues surrounding CRTs. There was considerable variability among research ethics chairs with respect to the type of review required, as well as the identification of research subjects. The cluster-cluster and professional-cluster scenarios produced the most disagreement. Conclusions Research ethics committees identified a clear need for ethics guidelines for CRTs and education about distinct ethical issues in CRTs. There is disagreement among committees, even within the same countries, with respect to key questions in the ethics review of CRTs. This disagreement reflects variability of opinion and practices pointing toward possible gaps in knowledge, and supports the need for explicit guidelines for the ethical conduct and review of CRTs. PMID:24495542

  13. How international is bioethics? A quantitative retrospective study.

    PubMed

    Borry, Pascal; Schotsmans, Paul; Dierickx, Kris

    2006-01-13

    Studying the contribution of individual countries to leading journals in a specific discipline can highlight which countries have the most impact on that discipline and whether a geographic bias exists. This article aims to examine the international distribution of publications in the field of bioethics. Retrospective quantitative study of nine peer reviewed journals in the field of bioethics and medical ethics (Bioethics, Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, Hastings Center Report, Journal of Clinical Ethics, Journal of Medical Ethics, Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal, Nursing Ethics, Christian Bioethics, and Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics). In total, 4,029 articles published between 1990 and 2003 were retrieved from the nine bioethical journals under study. The United States (59.3%, n = 2390), the United Kingdom (13.5%, n = 544), Canada (4%, n = 160) and Australia (3.8%, n = 154) had the highest number of publications in terms of absolute number of publications. When normalized to population size, smaller affluent countries, such as New Zealand, Finland and Sweden were more productive than the United States. The number of studies originating from the USA was decreasing in the period between 1990 and 2003. While a lot of peer reviewed journals in the field of bioethics profile themselves as international journals, they certainly do not live up to what one would expect from an "international" journal. The fact that English speaking countries, and to a larger extent American authors, dominate the international journals in the field of bioethics is a clear geographic bias towards the bioethical discussions that are going on in these journals.

  14. Science, Ethics and the Climate Responsibilities of Industrial Carbon Producers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Frumhoff, P. C.

    2014-12-01

    The question of responsibility for climate change lies at the heart of societal debate over actions to curb greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for now unavoidable climate impacts. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change established the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" among nations, signaling the recognition that industrialized nations who had produced the lion's share of historic emissions bore particular responsibility for avoiding dangerous interference with the climate system. But climate responsibilities can be distributed in other ways as well. This talk focuses on the scientific, historical and ethical basis for considering the climate responsibilities of the major fossil energy companies that have produced and marketed the coal, oil and natural gas whose use largely drives global warming, often while investing in efforts to discredit the scientific evidence and prevent policies that would encourage a transition to low-carbon energy. Earth scientists and scientific societies who rely on financial support from these companies have an opportunity to consider what ethical stance they might take to align their research, scientific understanding and values.

  15. Ethics committees and the changed clinical research environment in India in 2016: A perspective!

    PubMed

    Davis, Sanish; Sule, Poonam; Bughediwala, Murtuza; Pandya, Vrunda; Sinha, Shilpi

    2017-01-01

    Institutional and Independent Ethics Committees (ECs) have as their primary mission the protection of human research subjects. The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization has in the period 2013-2016 introduced several new regulations and amendments to existing regulations overseeing the conduct of Research in India. Several of these have direct effect on the functioning of the EC from a review, approval, and oversight mechanism. The Ethics Council of Indian Society for Clinical Research conducted a questionnaire survey among EC members to understand the impact of these changes in their functioning. The domains surveyed included awareness about recent changes/amendments and impacts, serious adverse events (SAEs) and compensation, informed consent and audio-video recording, monitoring and auditing of research, and future working of ECs. Seventy-nine percent of ECs are of the opinion that the new regulations/guidelines will add to their existing burden in the process of review and approval, providing subject protection and research oversight. Even though 68% of ECs stated that they are comfortable with SAE assessment and compensation determination, they state that there is variability in calculation of compensation amount using the formulae. An overwhelming majority (80%) of ECs stated that they were not in favor of centralized EC for providing review, approval, and oversight of clinical studies. Ethics Committees act as local regulator for clinical trials at sites providing Human Subject protection. The survey captures the contemporary issues faced by the ECs and also raises important questions on the ease of doing research, oversight of approved research, and administrative burden on the EC. Recent changes in regulations have on the one hand empowered Ethics committees but brought in challenges in the way that they provide oversight and monitor research carried out at the site.

  16. The ethics of in vivo calibrations in oral health surveys.

    PubMed

    Andrade, Flávia Reis de; Narvai, Paulo Capel; Montagner, Miguel Ângelo

    2016-01-01

    To analyze the ethics of in vivo calibration, using the discourse of the administrators of the National Oral Health Survey (SBBrasil 2010) as a starting point. This is a qualitative research involving semi-structured individual interviews with 12 members of the Steering Group and Technical Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Health, and two coordinators, one State and the other Municipal. The discourse of the collective subject technique was used for data analysis. When asked about the experiences of SBBrasil 2010, which included ethical aspects, respondents identified the forms of standardization and training of teams who collected field data. For them, there is little scientific evidence to ethically support the way the training stage, including calibration, is carried out in oral health epidemiological surveys, as a certain unease can be predicted in participants of these studies. The ethics of a research also derives from its methodological rigor; the training process; and calibration in particular, is a fundamental technical and ethical requirement in surveys such as the SBBrasil 2010. The unease of the volunteers in face of test repetition does not ethically invalidate the in vivo calibration, but mechanisms to minimize it must be developed.

  17. Nonaltruistic kidney donations in contemporary Jewish law and ethics.

    PubMed

    Grazi, Richard V; Wolowelsky, Joel B

    2003-01-27

    In 2000, the Consensus Statement on the Live Organ Donor reported that "direct financial compensation for an organ from a living donor remains controversial and illegal in the United States" and took note of the position of the Transplantation Society that "Organs and tissue should be given without commercial consideration or commercial profit." Christian authorities insist that organ donors must not accrue economic advantage, and "selling" organs deprives the donation of its ethical quality. The writings of major contemporary authorities of Jewish law and ethics whose halakhic positions on bioethical issues are regularly considered by Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform ethicists were reviewed. Their positions on this issue were contrasted with those of various contemporary secular and religious authorities. These Jewish authorities reject the notion that generosity and charity, rather than monetary gain and greed, must serve as the exclusive basis for donation of functioning organs. Although nonaltruistic sale of kidneys may be theoretically ethical, ultimately its ethical status in Jewish ethics and law is inextricably connected to solving a series of pragmatic programs, such as creating a system that ensures that potential vendors and donors are properly informed and not exploited. Lacking such arrangements, ethical nonaltruistic kidney donations remain but a theoretical possibility.

  18. A plea for virtue in ethics.

    PubMed

    Sisti, Dominic A; Baum-Baicker, Cynthia

    2012-01-01

    Comments on the original article, "Nonrational processes in ethical decision making" by M. D. Rogerson et al (see record 2011-19198-001). The current authors suggest that Rogerson, Gottlieb, Handelsman, Knapp, and Younggren (October 2011) presumed that the only ethical theories available for grounding decision-making models are of the rational, neoliberal variety. Rogerson et al stated, "Contextual, interpersonal, and intuitive factors are inextricably linked and inexorably influential in the process of ethical decision making. Ethical theory would benefit from encompassing these subtle yet powerful forces" (Rogerson et al., 2011, p. 616). They sought to augment these models with a cluster of contextual considerations, appending to them accounts of emotion, context, and intuition. First, notwithstanding the theories attributed to (the caricature of) Kant and his ilk, there are several ethical theories that include an account of what Rogerson et al. (2011) consider to be "nonrational" processes. From feminist theories to narrative ethics, sophisticated contextual theories have been developed and are readily available. Second, we question whether thick contextual considerations can simply be tacked on to extant models of decision making originally built upon a philosophical foundation that assumes a rational, autonomous agent who deliberates independently and logically.

  19. "I Have F-rien-d Now": How Play Helped Two Minority Children Transition into an English Nursery School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tang, Fengling; Adams, Leah D.

    2010-01-01

    Nursery schools in the United Kingdom have increasingly diverse populations, in part, because of newly arrived migrants from within and outside of the European Union. This article aims to explore the role of play in helping newly arrived children with minority ethic backgrounds to gain positive learning experiences in a nursery school setting in…

  20. Legal and Ethical Considerations in Allowing Parental Exemptions From Newborn Critical Congenital Heart Disease (CCHD) Screening.

    PubMed

    Hom, Lisa A; Silber, Tomas J; Ennis-Durstine, Kathleen; Hilliard, Mary Anne; Martin, Gerard R

    2016-01-01

    Critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) screening is rapidly becoming the standard of care in the United States after being added to the Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (RUSP) in 2011. Newborn screens typically do not require affirmative parental consent. In fact, most states allow parents to exempt their baby from receiving the required screen on the basis of religious or personally held beliefs. There are many ethical considerations implicated with allowing parents to exempt their child from newborn screening for CCHD. Considerations include the treatment of religious exemptions in our current legal system, as well as medical and ethical principles in relation to the rights of infants. Although there are significant benefits to screening newborns for CCHD, when a parent refuses for religious or personal beliefs, in the case of CCHD screening, the parental decision should stand.

  1. Return to work or job transition? Employer dilemmas in taking social responsibility for return to work in local workplace practice.

    PubMed

    Seing, Ida; MacEachen, Ellen; Ekberg, Kerstin; Ståhl, Christian

    2015-01-01

    The aim was to analyze the role and activities of employers with regard to return to work (RTW), in local workplace practice. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with sick-listed workers and their supervisors in 18 workplaces (n = 36). The analytical approach to study the role of employers in RTW was based on the three-domain model of social corporate responsibility. The model illustrates the linkage between corporations and their social environment, and consists of three areas of corporate responsibility: economic, legal and ethical. Employers had difficulties in taking social responsibility for RTW, in that economic considerations regarding their business took precedence over legal and ethical considerations. Employers engaged in either "RTW activities" or "transition activities" that were applied differently depending on how valued sick-listed workers were considered to be to their business, and on the nature of the job (e.g., availability of suitable work adjustments). This study suggests that Swedish legislation and policies does not always adequately prompt employers to engage in RTW. There is a need for further attention to the organizational conditions for employers to take social responsibility for RTW in the context of business pressure and work intensification. Employers may have difficulties in taking social responsibility for RTW when economic considerations regarding their business take precedence over legal and ethical considerations. Rehabilitation professionals should be aware of that outcomes of an RTW process can be influenced by the worker's value to the employer and the nature of the job (e.g., availability of suitable work adjustments). "Low-value" workers at workplaces with limited possibilities to offer workplace adjustments may run a high risk of dismissal. Swedish legislation and policies may need reforms to put more pressure on employers to promote RTW.

  2. Contribution of the ethics committee of the French society of intensive care medicine to a scenario for the implementation of organ donation after Maastricht III-type cardiac death in France.

    PubMed

    Graftieaux, J-P; Bollaert, P-E; Haddad, L; Kentish-Barnes, N; Nitenberg, G; Robert, R; Villers, D; Dreyfuss, D

    2014-02-01

    French law allows organ donation after death due to cardiocirculatory arrest. In the Maastricht classification, type III non-heart-beating donors are those who experience cardiocirculatory arrest after the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatments. French authorities in charge of regulating organ donation (Agence de la Biomédecine, ABM) are considering organ collection from Maastricht type III donors. We describe a scenario for Maastricht type III organ donation that fully complies with the ethical norms governing care to dying patients. That organ donation may occur after death should have no impact on the care given to the patient and family. The dead-donor rule must be followed scrupulously: the organ retrieval procedure must neither cause nor hasten death. The decision to withdraw life-sustaining treatments, withdrawal modalities, and care provided to the patient and family must adhere strictly to the requirements set forth in patient-rights legislation (the 2005 Léonetti law in France) and should not be influenced in any way by the possibility of organ donation. A major ethical issue regarding the family is how best to transition from discussing treatment-withdrawal decisions to discussing possible organ retrieval for donation should the patient die rapidly after treatment withdrawal. Close cooperation between the healthcare team and the organ retrieval team is crucial to minimize the distress of family members during this transition. Modalities for implementing Maastricht type III organ donation are discussed here, including the best location for withdrawing life-sustaining treatments (operating room or intensive care unit). Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier SAS.

  3. Protocol: A grounded theory of ‘recovery’—perspectives of adolescent users of mental health services

    PubMed Central

    Palmquist, Lucianne; Patterson, Sue; O'Donovan, Analise; Bradley, Graham

    2017-01-01

    Introduction Policies internationally endorse the recovery paradigm as the appropriate foundation for youth mental health services. However, given that this paradigm is grounded in the views of adults with severe mental illness, applicability to youth services and relevance to young people is uncertain, particularly as little is known about young people’s views. A comprehensive understanding of the experiences and expectations of young people is critical to developing youth mental health services that are acceptable, accessible, effective and relevant. Aim To inform development of policy and youth services, the study described in this protocol aims to develop a comprehensive account of the experiences and expectations of 12–17 year olds as they encounter mental disorders and transition through specialist mental health services. Data will be analysed to model recovery from the adolescents’ perspective. Method and analysis This grounded theory study will use quantitative and qualitative data collected in interviews with 12–17 year olds engaged with specialist Child/Youth Mental Health Service in Queensland, Australia. Interviews will explore adolescents’ expectations and experiences of mental disorder, and of services, as they transition through specialist mental health services, including the meaning of their experiences and ideas of ‘recovery’ and how their experiences and expectations are shaped. Data collection and analysis will use grounded theory methods. Ethics and dissemination Adolescents’ experiences will be presented as a mid-range theory. The research will provide tangible recommendations for youth-focused mental health policy and practice. Findings will be disseminated within academic literature and beyond to participants, health professionals, mental health advocacy groups and policy and decision makers via publications, research summaries, conferences and workshops targeting different audiences. Ethical and research governance approvals have been obtained from relevant Human Research Ethics committees and all sites involved. PMID:28729312

  4. Fair shares: a preliminary framework and case analyzing the ethics of offshoring.

    PubMed

    Gordon, Cameron; Zimmerman, Alan

    2010-06-01

    Much has been written about the offshoring phenomenon from an economic efficiency perspective. Most authors have attempted to measure the net economic effects of the strategy and many purport to show that "in the long run" that benefits will outweigh the costs. There is also a relatively large literature on implementation which describes the best way to manage the offshoring process. But what is the morality of offshoring? What is its "rightness" or "wrongness?" Little analysis of the ethics of offshoring has been completed thus far. This paper develops a preliminary framework for analyzing the ethics of offshoring and then applies this framework to basic case study of offshoring in the U.S. The paper following discusses the definition of offshoring; shifts to the basic philosophical grounding of the ethical concepts; develops a template for conducting an ethics analysis of offshoring; applies this template using basic data for offshoring in the United States; and conducts a preliminary ethical analysis of the phenomenon in that country, using a form of utilitarianism as an analytical baseline. The paper concludes with suggestions for further research.

  5. Parameter optimization on the convergence surface of path simulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chandrasekaran, Srinivas Niranj

    Computational treatments of protein conformational changes tend to focus on the trajectories themselves, despite the fact that it is the transition state structures that contain information about the barriers that impose multi-state behavior. PATH is an algorithm that computes a transition pathway between two protein crystal structures, along with the transition state structure, by minimizing the Onsager-Machlup action functional. It is rapid but depends on several unknown input parameters whose range of different values can potentially generate different transition-state structures. Transition-state structures arising from different input parameters cannot be uniquely compared with those generated by other methods. I outline modifications that I have made to the PATH algorithm that estimates these input parameters in a manner that circumvents these difficulties, and describe two complementary tests that validate the transition-state structures found by the PATH algorithm. First, I show that although the PATH algorithm and two other approaches to computing transition pathways produce different low-energy structures connecting the initial and final ground-states with the transition state, all three methods agree closely on the configurations of their transition states. Second, I show that the PATH transition states are close to the saddle points of free-energy surfaces connecting initial and final states generated by replica-exchange Discrete Molecular Dynamics simulations. I show that aromatic side-chain rearrangements create similar potential energy barriers in the transition-state structures identified by PATH for a signaling protein, a contractile protein, and an enzyme. Finally, I observed, but cannot account for, the fact that trajectories obtained for all-atom and Calpha-only simulations identify transition state structures in which the Calpha atoms are in essentially the same positions. The consistency between transition-state structures derived by different algorithms for unrelated protein systems argues that although functionally important protein conformational change trajectories are to a degree stochastic, they nonetheless pass through a well-defined transition state whose detailed structural properties can rapidly be identified using PATH. In the end, I outline the strategies that could enhance the efficiency and applicability of PATH.

  6. New Paradigms in Medical Ethics.

    PubMed

    Howe, Edmund G

    2016-01-01

    As new technologies develop, new ethical paradigms may be needed. This article considers several examples, such as stopping venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO), treating patients who are in a locked-in-like state who have awareness, purposefully deceiving patients who have dementia, meeting the needs of transgender persons, showing loved ones patients' wounds, and doing research on controlled substances. I suggest that clinicians should identify the practices underlying their value assumptions so they can alter their assumptions when this might improve the care they offer to their patients. Copyright 2016 The Journal of Clinical Ethics. All rights reserved.

  7. Civic Education as a Collaborative Dimension of Social Studies Education in Attainment of Political Ethics in Nigeria

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dania, Peter

    2015-01-01

    The paper investigated Civic Education as a collaborative dimension of Social Studies Education in attainment of political ethics in Nigeria. The study adopted the survey research design. The sample for the study consisted of 580 Social Studies teachers selected from thirty secondary schools in the three senatorial districts of Delta State. The…

  8. The Relationship between the Physical Environment of Schools and Teacher Morale, Sense of Belonging, and Work Ethic

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wiley, Ben D.

    2017-01-01

    This study examines the physical environment of school buildings and the effects it has on teacher morale, sense of belonging, and work ethic. Within this mixed-method study, four New York State schools were given the researcher developed School Environment Survey, and multiple school stakeholders were interviewed to determine the extent of these…

  9. The gift of blood in Europe: an ethical defence of EC directive 89/381.

    PubMed

    Keown, J

    1997-04-01

    Article 3.4 of EC directive 89/381 requires member states to take "all necessary measures to promote Community self-sufficiency in human blood or human plasma" and, for this purpose, to "encourage the voluntary unpaid donation of blood and plasma". This paper presents an ethical case in support of the policy of voluntary, unpaid donation.

  10. 78 FR 25774 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Order Approving a Proposed Rule...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-02

    ... Advisers Act relating to codes of ethics. This Rule requires investment advisers to adopt a code of ethics...(b)(4) on a continuous basis measured at the time of purchase. The Exchange states that trading in... 5705(b)(4) on a continuous basis measured at the time of purchase are designed to mitigate the...

  11. Cultivating Racial Literacy in White, Segregated Settings: Emotions as Site of Ethical Engagement and Inquiry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Winans, Amy E.

    2010-01-01

    Drawing on writing from a first-year composition class, this article explores how White students approach racial literacy in a segregated, rural college setting in the United States. I argue for the importance of understanding how emotions inform and propel students' responses to what I believe needs to be understood as the ethical challenge of…

  12. Ethics and American Power: Speeches by Caspar W. Weinberger and George P. Shultz. Responses by Philip Geyelin, Smith Hempstone, Carl F. H. Henry, Thomas Molnar, Richard John Neuhaus, David D. Newsom, William V. O'Brien, Paul Seabury, Roger L. Shinn, Seymour Siegel, Edward Teller, Richard M. Nixon. Ethics and Public Policy Essay 59.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lefever, Ernest W., Ed.

    Two cabinet secretaries address the problems of when and how the United States should use military power. Secretary of Defense Caspar W. Weinberger emphasizes the importance of prudence and restraint in the use of military force in chapter 1: "The Uses of Military Power." Secretary of State George P. Shultz stresses the vital importance…

  13. Thinking clearly about the FIRST trial: addressing ethical challenges in cluster randomised trials of policy interventions involving health providers.

    PubMed

    Horn, Austin R; Weijer, Charles; Hey, Spencer Phillips; Brehaut, Jamie; Fergusson, Dean A; Goldstein, Cory E; Grimshaw, Jeremy; Taljaard, Monica

    2018-04-27

    The ethics of the Flexibility In duty hour Requirements for Surgical Trainees (FIRST) trial have been vehemently debated. Views on the ethics of the FIRST trial range from it being completely unethical to wholly unproblematic. The FIRST trial illustrates the complex ethical challenges posed by cluster randomised trials (CRTs) of policy interventions involving healthcare professionals. In what follows, we have three objectives. First, we critically review the FIRST trial controversy, finding that commentators have failed to sufficiently identify and address many of the relevant ethical issues. The 2012 Ottawa Statement on the Ethical Design and Conduct of Cluster Randomized Trials provides researchers and research ethics committees with specific guidance for the ethical design and conduct of CRTs. Second, we aim to demonstrate how the Ottawa Statement provides much-needed clarity to the ethical issues in the FIRST trial, including: research participant identification; consent requirements; gatekeeper roles; benefit-harm analysis and identification of vulnerable participants. We nonetheless also find that the FIRST trial raises ethical issues not adequately addressed by the Ottawa Statement. Hence, third and finally, we raise important questions requiring further ethical analysis and guidance, including: Does clinical equipoise apply to policy interventions with little or no evidence-base? Do healthcare providers have an obligation to participate in research? Does the power-differential in certain healthcare settings render healthcare providers vulnerable to duress and coercion to participant in research? If so, what safeguards might be implemented to protect providers, while allowing important research to proceed? © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  14. Ethics of fertility preservation for prepubertal children: should clinicians offer procedures where efficacy is largely unproven?

    PubMed

    McDougall, Rosalind J; Gillam, Lynn; Delany, Clare; Jayasinghe, Yasmin

    2018-01-01

    Young children with cancer are treated with interventions that can have a high risk of compromising their reproductive potential. 'Fertility preservation' for children who have not yet reached puberty involves surgically removing and cryopreserving reproductive tissue prior to treatment in the expectation that strategies for the use of this tissue will be developed in the future. Fertility preservation for prepubertal children is ethically complex because the techniques largely lack proven efficacy for this age group. There is professional difference of opinion about whether it is ethical to offer such 'experimental' procedures. The question addressed in this paper is: when, if ever, is it ethically justifiable to offer fertility preservation surgery to prepubertal children? We present the ethical concerns about prepubertal fertility preservation, drawing both on existing literature and our experience discussing this issue with clinicians in clinical ethics case consultations. We argue that offering the procedure is ethically justifiable in certain circumstances. For many children, the balance of benefits and burdens is such that the procedure is ethically permissible but not ethically required; when the procedure is medically safe, it is the parents' decision to make, with appropriate information and guidance from the treating clinicians. We suggest that clinical ethics support processes are necessary to assist clinicians to engage with the ethical complexity of prepubertal fertility preservation and describe the framework that has been integrated into the pathway of care for patients and families attending the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  15. Ethics teaching in a medical education environment: preferences for diversity of learning and assessment methods

    PubMed Central

    AlMahmoud, Tahra; Hashim, M. Jawad; Elzubeir, Margaret Ann; Branicki, Frank

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Background: Ethics and professionalism are an integral part of medical school curricula; however, medical students’ views on these topics have not been assessed in many countries. Objective: The study aimed to examine medical students’ perceptions toward ethics and professionalism teaching, and its learning and assessment methods. Design: A self-administered questionnaire eliciting views on professionalism and ethics education was distributed to a total of 128 final-year medical students. Results: A total of 108 students completed the survey, with an 84% response rate. Medical students reported frequently encountering ethical conflicts during training but stated only a moderate level of ethics training at medical school (mean = 5.14 ± 1.8). They noted that their education had helped somewhat to deal with ethical conflicts (mean = 5.39 ± 2.0). Students strongly affirmed the importance of ethics education (mean = 7.63 ± 1.03) and endorsed the value of positive role models (mean = 7.45 ± 1.5) as the preferred learning method. The cohort voiced interest in direct faculty supervision as an approach to assessment of knowledge and skills (mean = 7.62 ± 1.26). Female students perceived greater need for more ethics education compared to males (p = < 0.05). Students who claimed that they had experienced some unprofessional treatment had a more limited view of the importance of ethics as a subject (P = 0.001). Conclusion: Medical students viewed ethics education positively and preferred clinically attuned methods for learning. PMID:28562234

  16. Getting personal: ethics and identity in global health research.

    PubMed

    Simon, Christian; Mosavel, Maghboeba

    2011-08-01

    'Researcher identity' affects global health research in profound and complex ways. Anthropologists in particular have led the way in portraying the multiple, and sometimes tension-generating, identities that researchers ascribe to themselves, or have ascribed to them, in their places of research. However, the central importance of researcher identity in the ethical conduct of global health research has yet to be fully appreciated. The capacity of researchers to respond effectively to the ethical tensions surrounding their identities is hampered by lack of conceptual clarity, as to the nature and scope of the issues involved. This paper strives to provide some clarification of these ethical tensions by considering researcher identity from the perspective of (1) Guillemin and Heggen's (2009) key distinction between procedural ethics and ethics in practice, and (2) our own distinction between perceptions of identity that are either symmetrical or asymmetrical, with the potential to shift research relationships toward greater or lesser ethical harmony. Discussion of these concepts is supported with ethnographic examples from relevant literature and from our own (United States (US) Government-funded) research in South Africa. A preliminary set of recommendations is provided in an effort to equip researchers with a greater sense of organization and control over the ethics of researcher identity. The paper concludes that the complex construction of researcher identity needs to be central among the ethical concerns of global health researchers, and that the conceptual tools discussed in the paper are a useful starting point for better organizing and acting on these ethical concerns. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  17. GETTING PERSONAL: ETHICS AND IDENTITY IN GLOBAL HEALTH RESEARCH

    PubMed Central

    Simon, Christian; Mosavel, Maghboeba

    2011-01-01

    ‘Researcher identity’ affects global health research in profound and complex ways. Anthropologists in particular have led the way in portraying the multiple, and sometimes tension-generating, identities that researchers ascribe to themselves, or have ascribed to them, in their places of research. However, the central importance of researcher identity in the ethical conduct of global health research has yet to be fully appreciated. The capacity of researchers to respond effectively to the ethical tensions surrounding their identities is hampered by lack of conceptual clarity, as to the nature and scope of the issues involved. This paper strives to provide some clarification of these ethical tensions by considering researcher identity from the perspective of (1) Guillemin and Heggen’s (2009) key distinction between procedural ethics and ethics in practice, and (2) our own distinction between perceptions of identity that are either symmetrical or asymmetrical, with the potential to shift research relationships toward greater or lesser ethical harmony. Discussion of these concepts is supported with ethnographic examples from relevant literature and from our own (United States (US) Government-funded) research in South Africa. A preliminary set of recommendations is provided in an effort to equip researchers with a greater sense of organization and control over the ethics of researcher identity. The paper concludes that the complex construction of researcher identity needs to be central among the ethical concerns of global health researchers, and that the conceptual tools discussed in the paper are a useful starting point for better organizing and acting on these ethical concerns. PMID:21426482

  18. Review of national research ethics regulations and guidelines in Middle Eastern Arab countries

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Research ethics guidelines are essential for conducting medical research. Recently, numerous attempts have been made to establish national clinical research documents in the countries of the Middle East. This article analyzes these documents. Methods Thirteen Arab countries in the Middle East were explored for available national codes, regulations, and guidelines concerning research ethics, and 10 documents from eight countries were found. We studied these documents, considering the ethical principles stated in the Declaration of Helsinki, the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) guidelines, and the International Conference of Harmonization - Guidelines for Good Clinical Practice (ICH-GCP). Our paper comprises a complete list of protections, such as confidentiality, informed consent, ethics committees, and others. Results This study found different levels and kinds of research ethics regulations and guidelines in the countries examined. Two groups can be distinguished: the countries in the first group have one or more research ethics regulations or guidelines, while the countries in the second group have not yet established any. Most of the documents showed various degrees of deficiencies in regard to ethical protection. The majority of the documents that were examined refer to one or more international documents on biomedical research ethics. Conclusions Recently, a lot of efforts have been made in many countries in the Middle East. However, compared with international documents, most of the research ethics documents in use in this region demonstrate numerous deficiencies. As it relates to these documents, extensive differences could be observed in regard to development, structure, content, and reference to international guidelines. PMID:23234422

  19. Estimation of State Transition Probabilities: A Neural Network Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saito, Hiroshi; Takiyama, Ken; Okada, Masato

    2015-12-01

    Humans and animals can predict future states on the basis of acquired knowledge. This prediction of the state transition is important for choosing the best action, and the prediction is only possible if the state transition probability has already been learned. However, how our brains learn the state transition probability is unknown. Here, we propose a simple algorithm for estimating the state transition probability by utilizing the state prediction error. We analytically and numerically confirmed that our algorithm is able to learn the probability completely with an appropriate learning rate. Furthermore, our learning rule reproduced experimentally reported psychometric functions and neural activities in the lateral intraparietal area in a decision-making task. Thus, our algorithm might describe the manner in which our brains learn state transition probabilities and predict future states.

  20. Should Society Allow Research Ethics Boards to Be Run As For-Profit Enterprises?

    PubMed Central

    Emanuel, Ezekiel J; Lemmens, Trudo; Elliot, Carl

    2006-01-01

    Background to the debate: An important mechanism for protecting human research participants is the prior approval of a clinical study by a research ethics board, known in the United States as an institutional review board (IRB). Traditionally, IRBs have been run by volunteer committees of scientists and clinicians working in the academic medical centers where the studies they review are being carried out. However, for-profit organizations are increasingly being hired to conduct ethics reviews. Proponents of for-profit IRBs argue that these IRBs are just as capable as academic IRBs at providing high-quality ethics reviews. Critics argue that for-profit IRBs have a conflict of interest because they generate their income from clients who have a direct financial interest in obtaining approval. PMID:16848618

  1. A lack of standardization: the basis for the ethical issues surrounding quality and performance reports.

    PubMed

    Suchy, Kirsten

    2010-01-01

    Consumers in the United States are taking advantage of the proliferation of publicly available, internet-based performance reports and quality appraisals of health plans, healthcare organizations, hospitals, and physicians to aid in their healthcare decision making. However, these appraisal practices have given rise to controversy and debate over certain distinctive ethical issues. This article advocates a standardized ethical framework to guide current and future development and implementation of performance reports. This framework, which would resolve a number of the major issues, includes the following ethical principles to guide the practice of public reporting on the Internet and facilitate enhanced quality improvement in the healthcare industry: legitimacy, data integrity and quality, transparency, informed understanding, equity, privacy and confidentiality, collaboration, accountability, and evaluation and continuous improvement.

  2. Commentary on Fiester's "Ill-placed democracy: ethics consultations and the moral status of voting".

    PubMed

    Dubler, Nancy Neveloff

    2011-01-01

    Autumn Fiester identifies an important element in clinical ethics consultation (CEC) that she labels, from the Greek, aporia, "state of perplexity," evidenced in CEC as ethical ambiguity. Fiester argues that the inherent difficulties of cases so characterized render them inappropriate for voting and more amenable to mediation and the search for consensus. This commentary supports Fiester's analysis and adds additional reasons for rejecting voting as a process for resolving disputes in CEC including: it distorts the analysis by empowering individual voters preferences and biases rather than focusing on the interests and wishes of the patient and family; it offers an insufficiently sensitive model for resolving the awesome, nuanced, conflicted, and ethically complex issues surrounding life and death; it marginalizes minority opinions that may have moral validity.

  3. Evaluation of ethics education in obstetrics and gynecology residency programs.

    PubMed

    Byrne, John; Straub, Heather; DiGiovanni, Laura; Chor, Julie

    2015-03-01

    The objective of the study was to assess the current status of ethics education in obstetrics-gynecology residency programs. A cross-sectional, web-based survey was designed in conjunction with a professional survey laboratory at the University of Chicago. The survey was piloted with a convenience sample of clinical medical ethics fellows to assess question content and clarity. The survey was deployed by e-mail to all obstetrics-gynecology residency program directors. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze participant responses. The University of Chicago's Institutional Review Board deemed this study exempt from institutional review board formal review. Of 242 eligible obstetrics-gynecology residency program directors, 118 (49%) completed the survey. Most respondents were from university-based programs (n = 78, 66%) that were not religiously affiliated (n = 98, 83%) and trained 4-6 residents per postgraduate year (n = 64, 70%). Although 50% of program directors (n = 60) reported having ethics as part of their core curriculum, most programs teach ethics in an unstructured manner. Fifty-seven percent of respondents (n = 66) stated their program dedicated 5 or fewer hours per year to ethics. The majority of program directors (n = 80, 73%) responded they would like more to a lot more ethics education and believed that ethics education should be required (n = 93, 85%) for residents to complete their training. Respondents identified that crowding in the curriculum was a significant barrier to increased ethics training (n = 50, 45%) and two-thirds (n = 74, 67%) reported a lack of faculty expertise as a moderate barrier to providing ethics education in the residency curriculum. This study found that a lack of structured curricula, inadequate faculty expertise, and limited time were important barriers for ethics education in obstetrics-gynecology programs across the nation. Despite these existing challenges, program directors have a strong interest in increasing ethics education in residency training. Therefore, additional resources are needed to assist program directors in enhancing resident ethics education. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Ethics Requirement Score: new tool for evaluating ethics in publications

    PubMed Central

    dos Santos, Lígia Gabrielle; Fonseca, Ana Carolina da Costa e; Bica, Claudia Giuliano

    2014-01-01

    Objective To analyze ethical standards considered by health-related scientific journals, and to prepare the Ethics Requirement Score, a bibliometric index to be applied to scientific healthcare journals in order to evaluate criteria for ethics in scientific publication. Methods Journals related to healthcare selected by the Journal of Citation Reports™ 2010 database were considered as experimental units. Parameters related to publication ethics were analyzed for each journal. These parameters were acquired by analyzing the author’s guidelines or instructions in each journal website. The parameters considered were approval by an Internal Review Board, Declaration of Helsinki or Resolution 196/96, recommendations on plagiarism, need for application of Informed Consent Forms with the volunteers, declaration of confidentiality of patients, record in the database for clinical trials (if applicable), conflict of interest disclosure, and funding sources statement. Each item was analyzed considering their presence or absence. Result The foreign journals had a significantly higher Impact Factor than the Brazilian journals, however, no significant results were observed in relation to the Ethics Requirement Score. There was no correlation between the Ethics Requirement Score and the Impact Factor. Conclusion Although the Impact Factor of foreigner journals was considerably higher than that of the Brazilian publications, the results showed that the Impact Factor has no correlation with the proposed score. This allows us to state that the ethical requirements for publication in biomedical journals are not related to the comprehensiveness or scope of the journal. PMID:25628189

  5. Meanings and political implications of "psychopathology" in a gender identity clinic: a report of 10 cases.

    PubMed

    Levine, Stephen B; Solomon, Anna

    2009-01-01

    Beginning in August 2007, we committed ourselves to a clinical review the co-morbid diagnostic patterns of the last 10 patients interviewed by our Gender Identity Clinic. We found 90% of these diverse patients had at least one other significant form of psychopathology. This finding seems to be in marked contrast to the public, forensic, and professional rhetoric of many who care for transgendered adults. Much of this rhetoric sounds remarkably certain about the long-term value of gender transition, hormones, and sex reassignment surgery in improving the lives of those with Gender Identity Disorder (GID). Such clinical certainty would have to be based on carefully established sophisticated follow-up findings. These are lacking. The psychopathologies in this series included problems of mood and anxiety regulation and adapting in the world. Two of the 10 have had persistent significant regrets about their previous transitions. In discussing management decisions, civil rights, and ethics, we planned to separately briefly present the 10 patients. However, our decision to seek patients' permission proved so upsetting to three of the first six patients that we altered the structure of this report. Our attempt to follow the ethical principle of informed consent caused us to violate the principle of nonmalfiescence. This distressing experience only illustrates, however, the disadvantage of discussing professional concepts with lay audiences. Emphasis on civil rights is not a substitute for the recognition and treatment of associated psychopathology. Gender identity specialists, unlike the media, need to be concerned about the majority of patients, not just the ones who are apparently functioning well in transition.

  6. Engaging science in a climate of values: tools for animal scientists tasked with addressing ethical problems.

    PubMed

    Croney, C C; Anthony, R

    2010-04-01

    In the United States, escalating concerns about current farm animal science and production methods have resulted not only in increased food animal protection policies, but also in animal welfare legislation. Animal scientists and industry leaders are apprehensive that such policies may be driven primarily by emotion and a lack of scientific understanding, and thus may have unforeseen consequences. However, decisions about animal care, and particularly animal welfare, cannot be made solely on the basis of science because the potential effects on producers, animals, and concerned citizens and the implications for the environment and on food prices must also be considered. Balancing the interests and values of all stakeholders in regard to animal welfare problems has presented a considerable challenge. Ethical accounting processes, such as the Ethical Matrix and the ethics assessment process by Campbell, offer models to combine socioethical concerns with relevant factual information, thereby facilitating decision making that is ethically responsible and that offers viable solutions. A case study is used to illustrate application of the ethics assessment process by Campbell that includes identification of the ethical problems, the embedded values, the relevant facts, and moral tests that can be applied. Awareness of these emerging ways of examining ethics that offer real solutions to conflicts of interests and not merely "one size fits all" answers should be an asset to animal and poultry scientists.

  7. When Ethics Constrains Clinical Research: Trial Design of Control Arms in “Greater Than Minimal Risk” Pediatric Trials

    PubMed Central

    de Melo-Martín, Inmaculada; Sondhi, Dolan

    2011-01-01

    Abstract For more than three decades clinical research in the United States has been explicitly guided by the idea that ethical considerations must be central to research design and practice. In spite of the centrality of this idea, attempting to balance the sometimes conflicting values of advancing scientific knowledge and protecting human subjects continues to pose challenges. Possible conflicts between the standards of scientific research and those of ethics are particularly salient in relation to trial design. Specifically, the choice of a control arm is an aspect of trial design in which ethical and scientific issues are deeply entwined. Although ethical quandaries related to the choice of control arms may arise when conducting any type of clinical trials, they are conspicuous in early phase gene transfer trials that involve highly novel approaches and surgical procedures and have children as the research subjects. Because of children's and their parents' vulnerabilities, in trials that investigate therapies for fatal, rare diseases affecting minors, the scientific and ethical concerns related to choosing appropriate controls are particularly significant. In this paper we use direct gene transfer to the central nervous system to treat late infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis to illustrate some of these ethical issues and explore possible solutions to real and apparent conflicts between scientific and ethical considerations. PMID:21446781

  8. Ethics in Online Publications.

    PubMed

    Vervaart, Peter

    2014-10-01

    Journals have been publishing the results of scientific investigations since the founding of Philosophical Transactions in 1665. Since then we have witnessed a massive expansion in the number of journals to the point that there are now approximately 28,000 active, peer reviewed journals collectively publishing more than 1.8 million articles per year. Before the mid-1990s, these journals were only available on paper but by the end of the 20th century, most journals had moved to online platforms. Online publication has also served as the impetus for the move to 'open-access' to the information contained in journals. The fact that a publication is 'on-line' and 'open-access' does not negate the responsibility of the author and the publisher to publish in an ethical way. [1] The document produced by the IFCC Ethics Task Force (TF-E) on publication ethics states that 'Ethics in Science at its broadest level encompasses research ethics, medical ethics, publication ethics, conflicts of interest, ethical responsibilities as educator, plus many other areas.' Thus publication ethics is a continuum from the first step of research design through to the information being read by the reader. In general terms 'publication ethics' includes the ethical behaviour of the authors in writing and submitting a scientific manuscript to a publisher for the purpose of publication, thus any discussion of publication ethics must include the role of the authors, referees, publisher and reader and the issues of authorship (and the use of 'ghosts'), plagiarism, duplicate publication (including in different languages), image manipulation (particularly in the era of digitisation), and conflict of interest [2]. To aid the authors, and others involved in the process of publication, a number of resources are now available particularly those from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) [3] and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) [4]. More recently the issue of 'publisher ethics' has also been raised, particularly with the sudden increase of what could be termed 'predatory' publishers utilising the open access model to publish low quality articles, which often do not adhere to the guidelines mentioned above, utilising an author-pays model of open-access publishing for their own profit [5].

  9. Human guinea pigs and the ethics of experimentation: the BMJ's correspondent at the Nuremberg medical trial.

    PubMed

    Weindling, P

    1996-12-07

    Though the Nuremberg medical trial was a United States military tribunal, British forensic pathologists supplied extensive evidence for the trial. The BMJ had a correspondent at the trial, and he endorsed a utilitarian legitimation of clinical experiments, justifying the medical research carried out under Nazism as of long term scientific benefit despite the human costs. The British supported an international medical commission to evaluate the ethics and scientific quality of German research. Medical opinions differed over whether German medical atrocities should be given publicity or treated in confidence. The BMJ's correspondent warned against medical researchers being taken over by a totalitarian state, and these arguments were used to oppose the NHS and any state control over medical research.

  10. [Conscientious objection for health professionals in ethics and deontology].

    PubMed

    Martínez León, Mercedes; Rabadán Jiménez, José

    2010-01-01

    The main objective of this paper is to highlight the numerous conflicts enters the consciousness and the laws are becoming more frequent health professionals in daily clinical practice. Clarify and define concepts such as ″conscientious objection for health professionals, to avoid confusion with other terms. This is work that aims to address the objection of conscience, not from the law but from the ethics and deontology, reviewing existing regulations both internationally and nationally. In addition to complete the studio, in a last part we discuss the state of the ″conscientious objection″ tars the recent passage of the organic law 2 / 2010, 3 march, sexual and reproductive health and the interruption of pregnancy. As a final conclusion we can say that ″conscientious objection″ is recognized in international declarations and even in the european constitution. in spain, the code of ethics and medical ethics, is one of the places where the objection of conscience of health professionals has great development for years, states that the doctor can refrain from the practice of certain professional acts such as abortion, in vitro fertilization or sterilization, if they are in contradiction with its ethical and scientific beliefs. Also recently, the general assembly of october 24, 2009, the central committee of ethics has made a declaration on ″conscientious objection″, insisting on its recognition. Finally, the organic law 2 / 2010, 3 march, sexual and reproductive health and the interruption of pregnancy, seems to be recognized ″the right to exercise conscientious objection″ of health professionals directly involved in the voluntary termination of pregnancy, after much discussion, but it is still early to assess the implementation of this right because, until july 5, 2010, will come into force this law, what will the future that we clarify the development of this important right for health professionals.

  11. Biomedical patents and ethics: a Canadian solution.

    PubMed

    Gold, E R

    2000-05-01

    World Trade Organization member states are preparing for the upcoming renegotiation of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. One of the important elements of that renegotiation is the ethical considerations regarding the patenting of higher life forms and their component parts (e.g. DNA and cell-lines). The interface between the genetic revolution, patentability, and ethical considerations is the subject of this article. The author identifies, explores, and critiques four possible positions Canada may adopt in respect of patentability of biomedical material. First, Canada could do nothing. This approach would mean keeping biomedical materials outside the patent system and outside the stream of commerce. Canada would simply wait for an international consensus to develop before adopting a position of its own. Second, Canada could go it alone. It could implement a policy that balances the incentive effects of patents with the need to incorporate ethical and social values into the decision-making process regarding the use of biomedical materials. In respect of this option, the author proposes a model whereby non-profit bodies would hold the exclusive rights to research, use, and exploit biomedical materials. Third, Canada could follow the United States, Europe, and Japan by providing for almost unrestricted patenting of biomedical materials. This would be the most industry-friendly alternative. The fourth and final option is to use the medicare system to promote discussion of ethical considerations involved in the use of biomedical materials. The power of provincial health agencies may be used as a lever to ensure the discussion of ethical considerations concerning the use of biomedical materials. The author concludes that the fourth and final option is the best alternative for Canada while waiting for an international consensus to emerge.

  12. Enriching mission planning approach with state transition graph heuristics for deep space exploration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jin, Hao; Xu, Rui; Xu, Wenming; Cui, Pingyuan; Zhu, Shengying

    2017-10-01

    As to support the mission of Mars exploration in China, automated mission planning is required to enhance security and robustness of deep space probe. Deep space mission planning requires modeling of complex operations constraints and focus on the temporal state transitions of involved subsystems. Also, state transitions are ubiquitous in physical systems, but have been elusive for knowledge description. We introduce a modeling approach to cope with these difficulties that takes state transitions into consideration. The key technique we build on is the notion of extended states and state transition graphs. Furthermore, a heuristics that based on state transition graphs is proposed to avoid redundant work. Finally, we run comprehensive experiments on selected domains and our techniques present an excellent performance.

  13. Research ethics I: Responsible conduct of research (RCR)--historical and contemporary issues pertaining to human and animal experimentation.

    PubMed

    Horner, Jennifer; Minifie, Fred D

    2011-02-01

    In this series of articles--Research Ethics I, Research Ethics II, and Research Ethics III--the authors provide a comprehensive review of the 9 core domains for the responsible conduct of research (RCR) as articulated by the Office of Research Integrity. In Research Ethics I, they present a historical overview of the evolution of RCR in the United States then examine the evolution of human and animal experimentation from the birth of scientific medicine through World War II to the present day. They relied on authoritative documents, both historical and contemporary, insightful commentary, and empirical research in order to identify current issues and controversies of potential interest to both faculty and students. The authors have written this article from a historical perspective because they think all readers interested in RCR should appreciate how the history of science and all the good--and harm--it has produced can inform how researchers practice responsible research in the 21st century and beyond.

  14. Still Human: A Call for Increased Focus on Ethical Standards in Cadaver Research.

    PubMed

    Bach, Michelle C

    2016-12-01

    Research on human cadavers is an important mechanism of scientific progress and comprises a large industry in the United States. However, despite its importance and influence, there is little ethical or regulatory oversight of cadaver-based research. This lack of transparency raises important ethical questions. Thus, this paper serves as a call for ethicists and regulators to pay increased attention to cadaver research. I argue that cadaver research ought to be considered a subset of human subjects research and held accountable to higher ethical standards. After describing current practices, I argue that oversight of cadaver research as a form of human subjects research is appropriate because cadaver research is similar to other types of human research, participants in cadaver research incur risks of harm, and a current lack of oversight has allowed the cadaver industry to entice research participation through ethically questionable practices. This paper urges greater dialogue among human subjects research ethicists and regulators about what constitutes appropriate protections for participants in cadaver research.

  15. An Empirical Ethics Agenda for Psychiatric Research Involving Prisoners

    PubMed Central

    Christopher, Paul P.; Candilis, Philip J.; Rich, Josiah D.; Lidz, Charles W.

    2012-01-01

    In the past 30 years, the incarcerated population in the United States has more than quadrupled to 2.3 million adults. With an alarmingly high prevalence of mental illness, substance use, and other serious health conditions compounding their curtailed autonomy, prisoners constitute perhaps the nation’s most disadvantaged group. Scientifically rigorous research involving prisoners holds the potential to inform and enlighten correctional policy and to improve their treatment. At the same time, prisoner research presents significant ethical challenges to investigators and institutional review boards (IRBs) alike, by subjecting participants to conditions that potentially undermine the validity of their informed consent. In 2006, the Institute of Medicine Committee on Ethical Considerations for Revisions to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Regulations for Protection of Prisoners Involved in Research recommended both further protections and a more permissive approach to research review that would allow inmates greater access to potentially beneficial research. These recommendations have sparked renewed debate about the ethical trade-offs inherent to prisoner research. In this article, the authors review the major justifications for research with prisoner subjects and the associated ethical concerns, and argue that the field of empirical ethics has much to offer to the debate. They then propose a framework for prioritizing future empirical ethics inquiry on this understudied topic. PMID:25309805

  16. Compliance with National Ethics Requirements for Human-Subject Research in Non-biomedical Sciences in Brazil: A Changing Culture?

    PubMed

    de Albuquerque Rocha, Karina; Vasconcelos, Sonia M R

    2018-02-06

    Ethics regulation for human-subject research (HSR) has been established for about 20 years in Brazil. However, compliance with this regulation is controversial for non-biomedical sciences, particularly for human and social sciences (HSS), the source of a recent debate at the National Commission for Research Ethics. We hypothesized that for these fields, formal requirements for compliance with HSR regulation in graduate programs, responsible for the greatest share of Brazilian science, would be small in number. We analyzed institutional documents (collected from June 2014 to May 2015) from 171 graduate programs at six prestigious Brazilian universities in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the states that fund most of the science conducted in Brazil. Among these programs, 149 were in HSS. The results suggest that non-compliance with standard regulation seems to be the rule in most of these programs. The data may reflect not only a resistance from scientists in these fields to comply with standard regulations for ethics in HSR but also a disciplinary tradition that seems prevalent when it comes to research ethics in HSR. However, recent encounters between Brazilian biomedical and non-biomedical scientists for debates over ethics in HSR point to a changing culture in the approach to research ethics in the country.

  17. What research ethics should learn from genomics and society research: lessons from the ELSI Congress of 2011.

    PubMed

    Henderson, Gail E; Juengst, Eric T; King, Nancy M P; Kuczynski, Kristine; Michie, Marsha

    2012-01-01

    Research on the ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) of human genomics has devoted significant attention to the research ethics issues that arise from genomic science as it moves through the translational process. Given the prominence of these issues in today's debates over the state of research ethics overall, these studies are well positioned to contribute important data, contextual considerations, and policy arguments to the wider research ethics community's deliberations, and ultimately to develop a research ethics that can help guide biomedicine's future. In this essay, we illustrate this thesis through an analytic summary of the research presented at the 2011 ELSI Congress, an international meeting of genomics and society researchers. We identify three pivotal factors currently shaping genomic research, its clinical translation, and its societal implications: (1) the increasingly blurred boundary between research and treatment; (2) uncertainty--that is, the indefinite, indeterminate, and incomplete nature of much genomic information and the challenges that arise from making meaning and use of it; and (3) the role of negotiations between multiple scientific and non-scientific stakeholders in setting the priorities for and direction of biomedical research, as it is increasingly conducted "in the public square." © 2012 American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics, Inc.

  18. An inhibitory gate for state transition in cortex

    PubMed Central

    Zucca, Stefano; D’Urso, Giulia; Pasquale, Valentina; Vecchia, Dania; Pica, Giuseppe; Bovetti, Serena; Moretti, Claudio; Varani, Stefano; Molano-Mazón, Manuel; Chiappalone, Michela; Panzeri, Stefano; Fellin, Tommaso

    2017-01-01

    Large scale transitions between active (up) and silent (down) states during quiet wakefulness or NREM sleep regulate fundamental cortical functions and are known to involve both excitatory and inhibitory cells. However, if and how inhibition regulates these activity transitions is unclear. Using fluorescence-targeted electrophysiological recording and cell-specific optogenetic manipulation in both anesthetized and non-anesthetized mice, we found that two major classes of interneurons, the parvalbumin and the somatostatin positive cells, tightly control both up-to-down and down-to-up state transitions. Inhibitory regulation of state transition was observed under both natural and optogenetically-evoked conditions. Moreover, perturbative optogenetic experiments revealed that the inhibitory control of state transition was interneuron-type specific. Finally, local manipulation of small ensembles of interneurons affected cortical populations millimetres away from the modulated region. Together, these results demonstrate that inhibition potently gates transitions between cortical activity states, and reveal the cellular mechanisms by which local inhibitory microcircuits regulate state transitions at the mesoscale. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.26177.001 PMID:28509666

  19. A modified PATH algorithm rapidly generates transition states comparable to those found by other well established algorithms

    PubMed Central

    Chandrasekaran, Srinivas Niranj; Das, Jhuma; Dokholyan, Nikolay V.; Carter, Charles W.

    2016-01-01

    PATH rapidly computes a path and a transition state between crystal structures by minimizing the Onsager-Machlup action. It requires input parameters whose range of values can generate different transition-state structures that cannot be uniquely compared with those generated by other methods. We outline modifications to estimate these input parameters to circumvent these difficulties and validate the PATH transition states by showing consistency between transition-states derived by different algorithms for unrelated protein systems. Although functional protein conformational change trajectories are to a degree stochastic, they nonetheless pass through a well-defined transition state whose detailed structural properties can rapidly be identified using PATH. PMID:26958584

  20. Birth control policies in Iran: a public health and ethics perspective.

    PubMed

    Aloosh, Mehdi; Saghai, Yashar

    2016-06-01

    In less than one generation, a unique demographic transition has taken place in Iran. A population growth rate of 4.06% in 1984 fell to 1.15% in 1993 and a total fertility rate of 6.4 births per woman in 1984 declined to 1.9 in 2010. In 2012, Iranian policymakers shifted away from a birth control policy towards a pro-natalist policy. At first glance, this may seem reasonable since its goal is to avoid the consequences of an aging population. However, we argue that the policy package raises serious public health, socioeconomic, environmental and ethical concerns and is likely to fail on its own terms. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  1. The ethics of corporate social responsibility.

    PubMed

    Bergman, Stanley M; Vernillo, Anthony T

    2014-01-01

    Corporations as well as individual professionals have an ethical obligation to help those in need. There is a sound tradition in American business for companies including social outreach as part of business strategy. This approach works best when corporations and community and professional experts work in partnership. Henry Schein's Corporate Social Responsibility program contributes expertise, logistics, connections, and funds to these partnerships in the United States and worldwide.

  2. Human genome education model project. Ethical, legal, and social implications of the human genome project: Education of interdisciplinary professionals

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Weiss, J.O.; Lapham, E.V.

    1996-12-31

    This meeting was held June 10, 1996 at Georgetown University. The purpose of this meeting was to provide a multidisciplinary forum for exchange of state-of-the-art information on the human genome education model. Topics of discussion include the following: psychosocial issues; ethical issues for professionals; legislative issues and update; and education issues.

  3. Practical Guidance on Science and Engineering Ethics Education for Instructors and Administrators: Papers and Summary from a Workshop, December 12, 2012

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Benya, Frazier F., Ed.; Fletcher, Cameron H.,Ed.; Hollander, Rachelle D.,Ed.

    2013-01-01

    Over the last two decades, colleges and universities in the United States have significantly increased the formal ethics instruction they provide in science and engineering. Today, science and engineering programs socialize students into the values of scientists and engineers as well as their obligations in the conduct of scientific research and…

  4. Racist Parenting and the Best Interests of the Child: A Legal and Ethical Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clarke, Paul T.; Heavin, Heather; Walker, Keith

    2010-01-01

    In this article, we use a recent Manitoba child custody case to provide a legal and ethical account of the notion of the best interests of the child. We explore the tension between the best interests of the child and parental rights to expression of a racist nature. We consider how the interests of different actors--the state, parents and…

  5. The Ethics of Randomized Controlled Trials in Social Settings: Can Social Trials Be Scientifically Promising and Must There Be Equipoise?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fives, Allyn; Russell, Daniel W.; Canavan, John; Lyons, Rena; Eaton, Patricia; Devaney, Carmel; Kearns, Norean; O'Brien, Aoife

    2015-01-01

    In a randomized controlled trial (RCT), treatments are assigned randomly and treatments are withheld from participants. Is it ethically permissible to conduct an RCT in a social setting? This paper addresses two conditions for justifying RCTs: that there should be a state of equipoise and that the trial should be scientifically promising.…

  6. The gift of blood in Europe: an ethical defence of EC directive 89/381.

    PubMed Central

    Keown, J

    1997-01-01

    Article 3.4 of EC directive 89/381 requires member states to take "all necessary measures to promote Community self-sufficiency in human blood or human plasma" and, for this purpose, to "encourage the voluntary unpaid donation of blood and plasma". This paper presents an ethical case in support of the policy of voluntary, unpaid donation. PMID:9134490

  7. Purchase or Pirate: Is Ethical Ideology or Age More Effective at Predicting Acquisition Choice for Online Music?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Steven W.

    2013-01-01

    A study using 454 respondents recruited through SurveyMonkey were used to quantitatively test whether age or ethical position is better able to predict purchasing rates for digital music acquisition. The respondents had an age range from 18 to 80 and lived in the United States. The sample had a diverse and representative geographic and economic…

  8. Leadership styles in ethical dilemmas when head nurses make decisions.

    PubMed

    Zydziunaite, V; Lepaite, D; Suominen, T

    2013-06-01

    The overlooked aspect in Lithuania is the dearth of leaders among head nurses, who bear the responsibility for decisions in ethical dilemmas. Understanding the application of leadership styles is fundamental to ensuring head nurses' abilities to influence outcomes for healthcare providers and patients. To identify the leadership styles applied by head nurses in decision making in ethical dilemmas on hospital wards. The data were collected by questionnaires completed by head nurses (n = 278) working in five major state-funded hospitals in each of the five regions of Lithuania. The data were analysed using SPSS 16.0, calculating descriptive statistics and analysis of variance. Head nurses apply democratic, affiliative, transformational and sustainable leadership styles when resolving ethical dilemmas. The application of leadership styles is associated not only with specific situations, but also with certain background factors, such as years of experience in a head nurse's position, ward specialization and the incidence of ethical dilemmas. Nurses having been in a head nurse's position over 10 years use primitive leadership styles, notably bureaucratic leadership, more often than do those head nurses with only a few years of experience in such a position. The results highlight the need for head nurses to reflect on their practices and to find new ways of learning from practice, colleagues and patients. Head nurses' managerial decisions due to their 'executive power' can turn into a new state-of-the-art leadership in nursing. © 2013 The Authors. International Nursing Review © 2013 International Council of Nurses.

  9. Too poor for transplant: finance and insurance issues in transplant ethics.

    PubMed

    Laurentine, Kyle Alexander; Bramstedt, Katrina A

    2010-06-01

    Donor organs are a scarce gift. Additionally, transplantation is very expensive and the United States lacks universal health insurance for all citizens. These facts combine to make personal finance and insurance some of the criteria for wait listing at US transplant centers. Previous research has shown that the poor and the uninsured (as well as women and nonwhites) are less likely to receive a transplant. Living donor candidates are also limited by the US insurance system. To determine the effect of finance and insurance variables on access to transplant and living donation. A qualitative descriptive study of ethics consultation data contained in a research registry approved by the institutional review board at California Pacific Medical Center. This study analyzes research registry data from a large community hospital in Northern California that serves patients from California, Oregon, and Nevada. The registry data are derived from transplant ethics consultations occurring between January 1, 2007, and June 30, 2009. This study explores the restriction of access to transplantation and of participation in living donation. More than a quarter of all transplant ethics consultation reports described the restriction of transplant-related treatment for reasons rooted in finance or insurance. Individuals on the recipient side and on the donor side were hindered with regard to access. Insurance status and personal ability to pay significantly affect access to transplantation in the United States, and this theme is a frequent feature of ethics consultations at California Pacific Medical Center.

  10. Legal and ethical standards for protecting women's human rights and the practice of conscientious objection in reproductive healthcare settings.

    PubMed

    Zampas, Christina

    2013-12-01

    The practice of conscientious objection by healthcare workers is growing across the globe. It is most common in reproductive healthcare settings because of the religious or moral values placed on beliefs as to when life begins. It is often invoked in the context of abortion and contraceptive services, including the provision of information related to such services. Few states adequately regulate the practice, leading to denial of access to lawful reproductive healthcare services and violations of fundamental human rights. International ethical, health, and human rights standards have recently attempted to address these challenges by harmonizing the practice of conscientious objection with women's right to sexual and reproductive health services. FIGO ethical standards have had an important role in influencing human rights development in this area. They consider regulation of the unfettered use of conscientious objection essential to the realization of sexual and reproductive rights. Under international human rights law, states have a positive obligation to act in this regard. While ethical and human rights standards regarding this issue are growing, they do not yet exhaustively cover all the situations in which women's health and human rights are in jeopardy because of the practice. The present article sets forth existing ethical and human rights standards on the issue and illustrates the need for further development and clarity on balancing these rights and interests. Copyright © 2013 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. An ethical criterion for geoscientists

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peppoloni, Silvia

    2013-04-01

    Anthropological researches have demonstrated that at some point in human history, man makes an evolutive jump in cultural sense: at first, he is able to perceive himself only as part of a community, later he becomes able to perceive himself as an individual. The analysis of the linguistic roots of the word "Ethics" discloses the traces of this evolutive transition and an original double meaning: on the one hand, "Ethics" contains a sense of belonging to the social fabric, on the other hand, it is related to the individual sphere. These two existential conditions (social and individual) unexpectedly co-exist in the word "Ethics". So, "Geo-Ethics" can be defined as the investigation and reflection on those values upon which to base appropriate behaviours and practices regarding the Geosphere (social dimension), but also as the analysis of the relationships between the geoscientist who acts and his own actions (individual dimension). Therefore, the meaning of the word "Geo-Ethics" calls upon geoscientists to face the responsibility of an ethical behaviour. What does this responsibility consist of and what motivations are necessary to push geoscientists to practice the Earth sciences in an ethical way? An ethical commitment exists if there is research of truth. In their activities, Geoscientists should be searchers and defenders of truth. If geoscientists give up this role, they completely empty of meaning their work. Ethical obligations arise from the possession of specific knowledge that has practical consequences. Geoscientists, as active and responsible part of society, have to serve society and the common good. The ethical criterion for a geoscientist should be rooted in his individual sphere, that is the source of any action even in the social sphere, and should have the intellectual honesty as main requirement. It includes: • respect for the truth that they look for and for other's ideas; • recognition of the value of others as valuable for themselves; • spirit of collaboration and reciprocity; • identification of a common goal, despite the diversity of views; • responsibility of their technical-cultural expertise; • opening to the comparison even in perspective of a resizing of their certainties; • reflection on the mutability of knowledge and roles; • awareness conveying scientific knowledge to others is valuable. On these bases geoscientists' activity becomes a real service for society. Geoethics should be above all an opportunity for Geoscientists to raise the awareness of their individual and social responsibility, an occasion to improve their understanding of the space and time in which they move and operate, with the perspective to contribute to the wellbeing and economic progress of mankind. Before acting and understanding how to act, Geoscientists should recognize the value of their actions, so that they will assure a real and long-lasting rootedness of practices, codes and regulations.

  12. Stabilization of different types of transition states in a single enzyme active site: QM/MM analysis of enzymes in the alkaline phosphatase superfamily.

    PubMed

    Hou, Guanhua; Cui, Qiang

    2013-07-17

    The first step for the hydrolysis of a phosphate monoester (pNPP(2-)) in enzymes of the alkaline phosphatase (AP) superfamily, R166S AP and wild-type NPP, is studied using QM/MM simulations based on an approximate density functional theory (SCC-DFTBPR) and a recently introduced QM/MM interaction Hamiltonian. The calculations suggest that similar loose transition states are involved in both enzymes, despite the fact that phosphate monoesters are the cognate substrates for AP but promiscuous substrates for NPP. The computed loose transition states are clearly different from the more synchronous ones previously calculated for diester reactions in the same AP enzymes. Therefore, our results explicitly support the proposal that AP enzymes are able to recognize and stabilize different types of transition states in a single active site. Analysis of the structural features of computed transition states indicates that the plastic nature of the bimetallic site plays a minor role in accommodating multiple types of transition states and that the high degree of solvent accessibility of the AP active site also contributes to its ability to stabilize diverse transition-state structures without the need of causing large structural distortions of the bimetallic motif. The binding mode of the leaving group in the transition state highlights that vanadate may not always be an ideal transition state analog for loose phosphoryl transfer transition states.

  13. Experimental and computational analysis of the transition state for ribonuclease A-catalyzed RNA 2′-O-transphosphorylation

    PubMed Central

    Gu, Hong; Zhang, Shuming; Wong, Kin-Yiu; Radak, Brian K.; Dissanayake, Thakshila; Kellerman, Daniel L.; Dai, Qing; Miyagi, Masaru; Anderson, Vernon E.; York, Darrin M.; Piccirilli, Joseph A.; Harris, Michael E.

    2013-01-01

    Enzymes function by stabilizing reaction transition states; therefore, comparison of the transition states of enzymatic and nonenzymatic model reactions can provide insight into biological catalysis. Catalysis of RNA 2′-O-transphosphorylation by ribonuclease A is proposed to involve electrostatic stabilization and acid/base catalysis, although the structure of the rate-limiting transition state is uncertain. Here, we describe coordinated kinetic isotope effect (KIE) analyses, molecular dynamics simulations, and quantum mechanical calculations to model the transition state and mechanism of RNase A. Comparison of the 18O KIEs on the 2′O nucleophile, 5′O leaving group, and nonbridging phosphoryl oxygens for RNase A to values observed for hydronium- or hydroxide-catalyzed reactions indicate a late anionic transition state. Molecular dynamics simulations using an anionic phosphorane transition state mimic suggest that H-bonding by protonated His12 and Lys41 stabilizes the transition state by neutralizing the negative charge on the nonbridging phosphoryl oxygens. Quantum mechanical calculations consistent with the experimental KIEs indicate that expulsion of the 5′O remains an integral feature of the rate-limiting step both on and off the enzyme. Electrostatic interactions with positively charged amino acid site chains (His12/Lys41), together with proton transfer from His119, render departure of the 5′O less advanced compared with the solution reaction and stabilize charge buildup in the transition state. The ability to obtain a chemically detailed description of 2′-O-transphosphorylation transition states provides an opportunity to advance our understanding of biological catalysis significantly by determining how the catalytic modes and active site environments of phosphoryl transferases influence transition state structure. PMID:23878223

  14. Theoretical study on the low-lying excited states of the phosphorus monoiodide (PI) including the spin-orbit coupling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Xiaomei; Liu, Xiaoting; Liang, Guiying; Li, Rui; Xu, Haifeng; Yan, Bing

    2016-01-01

    The potential energy curves (PECs) of the 22 Λ-S states of the phosphorus monoiodide (PI) molecule have been calculated at the level of MRCI+Q method with correlation-consistent quadruple-ζ quality basis set. The spectroscopic constants of the bound states are determined, which well reproduce the available measurements. The metastable a1Δ state has been reported for the first time, which lies between the X3Σ- and b1Σ+ states and have much deeper well than the ground state. The R-dependent spin-orbit (SO) matrix elements are calculated with the full-electron Breit-Pauli operator. Based on the SO matrix elements, the perturbations that the 23Π state may suffer from are analyzed in detail. The SOC effect makes the original Λ-S states split into 51 Ω states. In the zero-field splitting of the ground state X3Σ-, the spin-spin coupling contribution (2.23 cm-1) is found to be much smaller compared to the spin-orbit coupling contribution (50 cm-1). The avoided crossings between the Ω states lead to much shallower potential wells and the change of dissociation relationships of the states. The Ω-state wavefunctions are analyzed depending on their Λ-S compositions, showing the strong interactions among several quasidegenerate Λ-S states of the same total SO symmetry. The transition properties including electric dipole (E1), magnetic dipole (M1), and electric quadrupole (E2) transition moments (TMs), the Franck-Condon factors, the transition probabilities and the radiative lifetimes are computed for the transitions between Ω components of a1Δ and b1Σ+ states and ground state. The transition probabilities induced by the E1, E2, and M1 transitions are evaluated. The E2 makes little effect on transition probabilities. In contrast, the E1 transition makes the main contribution to the transition probability and the M1 transition also brings the influence that cannot be neglected. Finally, the radiative lifetimes are determined with the transition moments including E1 and M1. The lifetime of transition (2)0+-X10+ is evaluated at the level of millisecond, much smaller than that of the transition (2)0+-X21.

  15. Organ Donation After Circulatory Death: Ethical Issues and International Practices.

    PubMed

    Jericho, Barbara G

    2018-05-21

    Donation after circulatory death (DCD) is an increasingly utilized practice that can contribute to reducing the difference between the supply of organs and the demand for organs for transplantation. As the number of transplanted organs from DCD donors continues to increase, there is an essential need to address the ethical aspects of DCD in institutional DCD protocols and clinical practice. Ethical issues of respecting the end-of-life wishes of a potential donor, respecting a recipient's wishes, and addressing potential conflicts of interest are important considerations in developing policies and procedures for DCD programs. Although there may be diversity among DCD programs in Europe, Australia, Israel, China, the United States, and Canada, addressing ethical considerations in these DCD programs is essential to respect donors and recipients during the altruistic and generous act of organ donation.

  16. Use of physical restraint in nursing homes: clinical‐ethical considerations

    PubMed Central

    Gastmans, C; Milisen, K

    2006-01-01

    This article gives a brief overview of the state of the art concerning physical restraint use among older persons in nursing homes. Within this context we identify some essential values and norms that must be observed in an ethical evaluation of physical restraint. These values and norms provide the ethical foundation for a number of concrete recommendations that could give clinical and ethical support to caregivers when they make decisions about physical restraint. Respect for the autonomy and overall wellbeing of older persons, a proportional assessment of the advantages and disadvantages, a priority focus on the alternatives to physical restraint, individualised care, interdisciplinary decision making, and an institutional policy are the central points that make it possible to deal responsibly with the use of physical restraint for older persons in nursing homes. PMID:16507658

  17. Commentary: Mapping a changing landscape in the ethics of forensic psychiatry.

    PubMed

    Grubin, Don

    2008-01-01

    In 1984, Alan Stone, writing in the Bulletin of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, stated that "forensic psychiatrists are without any clear guidelines as to what is proper and ethical," adding that because of the nature of psychiatry and the realities of the law, no such guidelines can be drawn. Put starkly, his conclusion was that the practice of forensic psychiatry is fundamentally unethical. In the same issue, several contemporary commentators criticized his position, arguing that he misunderstood the social context of forensic psychiatry and that, in any case, he was wrong to say that ethics standards did not exist. In this article, these questions are reviewed again, starting from the principle articulated by the philosopher, A. J. Ayer, that that there is no such thing as an ethical fact.

  18. Ethical issues: the multi-centre low-risk ethics/governance review process and AMOSS.

    PubMed

    Vaughan, Geraldine; Pollock, Wendy; Peek, Michael J; Knight, Marian; Ellwood, David; Homer, Caroline S; Pulver, Lisa Jackson; McLintock, Claire; Ho, Maria T; Sullivan, Elizabeth A

    2012-04-01

    The Australasian Maternity Outcomes Surveillance System (AMOSS) conducts surveillance and research of rare and serious conditions in pregnancy. This multi-centre population health study is considered low risk with minimal ethical impact. To describe the ethics/governance review pathway undertaken by AMOSS. Prospective, descriptive study during 2009-2011 of the governance/ethical review processes required to gain approval for Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) maternity units with more than 50 births per year (n = 303) to participate in AMOSS. Review processes ranged from a single application for 24 NZ sites, a single application for eligible hospitals in two Australian states, full Health Research Ethics Committee (HREC) applications for individual hospitals, through simple letters of support. As of September 2011, 46 full/expedited ethics applications, 131 site governance applications and 136 letters of support requests were made over 33 months, involving an estimated 3261 hours by AMOSS staff/investigators, and an associated resource burden by participating sites, to obtain approval to receive nonidentifiable data from 291 hospitals. The AMOSS research system provides an important resource to enhance knowledge of conditions that cause rare and serious maternal morbidity. Yet the highly variable ethical approval processes required to implement this study have been excessively repetitive and burdensome. This process jeopardises timely, efficient research project implementation, without corresponding benefits to research participants. The resource burden to establish research governance for AMOSS confirms the urgent need for the Harmonisation of Multi-centre Ethical Review (HoMER) to further streamline ethics/governance review processes for multi-centre research. © 2011 The Authors. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology © 2011 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

  19. A Comparison of the Financial Management Curriculum at the Naval Postgraduate School and Other Graduate Public Financial Management Curricula in the United States

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1992-06-01

    Administration, Legal Principles, Ethics in Government or Public Administration courses in the NPS curriculum. These courses, however, are found in more...Other X Other: Legal Aspects X X X Ethics in Government X X X Public Administration X X 2 X Admin Theory/Policy X X X 2 X Degree Offered: 1)MPA 2 3 2 1 1...Other Other: Legal Aspects X X X Ethics in Government X X X Public Administration X X X X X X X X Admin Theory/Policy X X X X Degree Offered: 1)MPA 1 1

  20. Theological ethics, moral philosophy, and public moral discourse.

    PubMed

    Jonsen, Albert R

    1994-03-01

    The advent and growth of bioethics in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s precipitated an era of public moral discourse, that is, the deliberate attempt to analyze and formulate moral argument for use in public policy. The language for rational discussion of moral matters evolved from the parent disciplines of moral philosophy and theological ethics, as well as from the idioms of a secular, pluralistic world that was searching for policy answers to difficult bioethical questions. This article explores the basis and content of the unique contributions of both theological and philosophical ethics to the development of public moral discourse.

  1. Machiavellian tendencies of nonprofit health care employees.

    PubMed

    Richmond, Kelly A; Smith, Pamela C

    2005-01-01

    Federal and state regulators have heightened scrutiny of nonprofit hospital operations, particularly in billing collections. The move for hospitals to adopt more compassionate methods within their business functions drives the need to examine the ethical reasoning of their employees. The purpose of this study is to assess the existence of Machiavellian propensities among health care employees. People defined as Machiavellian are impersonal, rational, and strategy-oriented rather than person-oriented. Results indicate employee participants exhibit these propensities, and tend to agree with questionable scenarios. Knowledge of the ethical propensities of employees may serve as a crucial factor to the success of any plan in establishing an ethical work environment.

  2. Should Pediatric Euthanasia be Legalized?

    PubMed

    Brouwer, Marije; Kaczor, Christopher; Battin, Margaret P; Maeckelberghe, Els; Lantos, John D; Verhagen, Eduard

    2018-02-01

    Voluntary active euthanasia for adults at their explicit request has been legal in Belgium and the Netherlands since 2002. In those countries, acceptance of the practice for adults has been followed by acceptance of the practice for children. Opponents of euthanasia see this as a dangerous slippery slope. Proponents argue that euthanasia is sometimes ethically appropriate for minors and that, with proper safeguards, it should be legally available in appropriate circumstances for patients at any age. In this Ethics Rounds, we asked philosophers from the United States and the Netherlands, and a Dutch pediatrician, to discuss the ethics of legalizing euthanasia for children. Copyright © 2018 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

  3. The case of juvenile polygraphy as a clinical ethics dilemma.

    PubMed

    Chaffin, Mark

    2011-09-01

    Polygraph interrogations are used by half of all surveyed juvenile sex offender (JSO) treatment programs in the United States. This is a distinctive and controversial practice that is rarely if ever used with other juvenile delinquent populations, and that is rarely used or is banned from JSO treatment programs in other countries. Clinical polygraphy is an ethically sensitive issue because it involves mental health therapists in involuntary coercive interrogations of minors. This article reviews core mental health professional ethics principles for juveniles. JSO polygraphy is used as an illustrative issue for applying human rights principles to a practice in light of its benefits, risks, and available alternatives.

  4. A cross-sectional survey to investigate community understanding of medical research ethics committees.

    PubMed

    Fritschi, Lin; Kelsall, Helen L; Loff, Bebe; Slegers, Claudia; Zion, Deborah; Glass, Deborah C

    2015-07-01

    Study explanatory forms often state that an ethics committee has approved a research project. To determine whether the lay community understand the roles of ethics committees in research, we took a cross-sectional national sample from three sampling frames: the general population (n=1532); cohort study participants (n=397); and case-control study participants (n=151). About half (51.3%) of the participants had heard of ethics committees. Those who had were more likely to be those who had participated in previous surveys, older participants, those born in Australia and those with higher education. Almost all participants agreed that the roles of an ethics committee were to protect participants' privacy and ensure no harm came to study participants and most agreed that the committee's role was to ensure that the research was capable of providing answers. Case-control and cohort participants were more likely than the general population to consider that the role of an ethics committee was to design the research and obtain research funding. Overall, we found that about half of the population are aware of ethics committees and that most could correctly identify that ethics committees are there to protect the welfare and rights of research participants, although a substantial minority had some incorrect beliefs about the committees' roles. Increased education, particularly for migrants and older people, might improve understanding of the role of ethics committees in research. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  5. Survey of animal welfare, animal behavior, and animal ethics courses in the curricula of AVMA Council on Education-accredited veterinary colleges and schools.

    PubMed

    Shivley, Chelsey B; Garry, Franklyn B; Kogan, Lori R; Grandin, Temple

    2016-05-15

    OBJECTIVE To explore the extent to which veterinary colleges and schools accredited by the AVMA Council on Education (COE) have incorporated specific courses related to animal welfare, behavior, and ethics. DESIGN Survey and curriculum review. SAMPLE All 49 AVMA COE-accredited veterinary colleges and schools (institutions). PROCEDURES The study consisted of 2 parts. In part 1, a survey regarding animal welfare, behavior, and ethics was emailed to the associate dean of academic affairs at all 49 AVMA COE-accredited institutions. In part 2, the curricula for the 30 AVMA COE-accredited institutions in the United States were reviewed for courses on animal behavior, ethics, and welfare. RESULTS Seventeen of 49 (35%) institutions responded to the survey of part 1, of which 10 offered a formal animal welfare course, 9 offered a formal animal behavior course, 8 offered a formal animal ethics course, and 5 offered a combined animal welfare, behavior, and ethics course. The frequency with which courses on animal welfare, behavior, and ethics were offered differed between international and US institutions. Review of the curricula for the 30 AVMA COE-accredited US institutions revealed that 6 offered a formal course on animal welfare, 22 offered a formal course on animal behavior, and 18 offered a formal course on animal ethics. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results suggested that AVMA COE-accredited institutions need to provide more formal education on animal welfare, behavior, and ethics so veterinarians can be advocates for animals and assist with behavioral challenges.

  6. The new military medical ethics: legacies of the Gulf Wars and the War on Terror.

    PubMed

    Miles, Steven H

    2013-03-01

    United States military medical ethics evolved during its involvement in two recent wars, Gulf War I (1990-1991) and the War on Terror (2001-). Norms of conduct for military clinicians with regard to the treatment of prisoners of war and the administration of non-therapeutic bioactive agents to soldiers were set aside because of the sense of being in a 'new kind of war'. Concurrently, the use of radioactive metal in weaponry and the ability to measure the health consequences of trade embargos on vulnerable civilians occasioned new concerns about the health effects of war on soldiers, their offspring, and civilians living on battlefields. Civilian medical societies and medical ethicists fitfully engaged the evolving nature of the medical ethics issues and policy changes during these wars. Medical codes of professionalism have not been substantively updated and procedures for accountability for new kinds of abuses of medical ethics are not established. Looking to the future, medicine and medical ethics have not articulated a vision for an ongoing military-civilian dialogue to ensure that standards of medical ethics do not evolve simply in accord with military exigency. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  7. Could the ethics of institutionalized health care be anything but Kantian? Collecting building blocks for a unifying metaethics.

    PubMed

    Kaldis, Byron

    2005-01-01

    Is a Health Care Ethics possible? Against sceptical and relativist doubts Kantian deontology may advance a challenging alternative affirming the possibility of such an ethics on the condition that deontology be adopted as a total programme or complete vision. Kantian deontology is enlisted to move us from an ethics of two-person informal care to one of institutions. It justifies this affirmative answer by occupying a commanding meta-ethical stand. Such a total programme comprises, on the one hand, a dual-aspect strategy incorporating the macro- (institutional) and micro- (person-to-person) levels while, on the other, it integrates consistently within moral epistemology a meta-ethics with lower-ground moral theories. The article describes the issues to be dealt with and the problems which have to be solved on the way to a unifying theory of that kind (Sections I-III) and indicates elements of Kantian moral philosophy which may serve as building blocks (Section IV). Among these are not only Kant's ideas concerning the moral acting of persons and his ideas concerning civil society and state but also his ideas concerning morality, schematism and religion.

  8. HIV Prevention Research Ethics: An Introduction to the Special Issue

    PubMed Central

    Fisher, Celia B.

    2018-01-01

    This special issue of the journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics represents a sampling of projects fostered through the NIDA-funded Fordham University HIV Prevention Research Ethics Institute. The first three articles employ processes of co-learning to give voice to the experiences of individuals recovering from substance abuse and engaged in sex work who have participated in HIV prevention studies in the United States, India, and the Philippines. The fourth article describes a unique community-based approach to the development of research ethics training modules designed to increase participation of American Indian and Alaskan Native (AI/AN) tribal members as partners in research on health disparities. The last two articles focus a critical scholarly lens on two underexamined areas confronting IRB review of HIV research: The emerging and continuously changing ethical challenges of using social media sites for recruitment into HIV prevention research, and the handling of research-related complaints from participants involving perceived research harms or research experiences that do not accord with their initial expectations. Together, the articles in this special issue identify key ethical crossroads and provide suggestions for best practices that respect the values and merit the trust of research participants. PMID:24572078

  9. Ethical conflict resolution based on an ethics of relationships for brain injury rehabilitation.

    PubMed

    Malec, J F

    1996-11-01

    An ethics of relationships for brain injury (BI) rehabilitation is described based on three principles; (1) human relationships are important; (2) human relationships are as important as individual survival; (3) human relationships are important enough to extend throughout the family of humankind. Within the context of this ethics of relationships, ethical conflict resolution (ECR) is offered as a process to address disagreements among those involved in BI rehabilitation. ECR provides a means to arrive at moral decisions in situations in which people disagree about the appropriate course of action because of differing values. ECR recognizes that, although disagreements in BI rehabilitation settings can be associated with multiple other factors, including disturbed self-awareness, emotions, communication, and interpersonal dynamics, such disagreements may also be value-based, either in whole or part. ECR invites the professional team to identify the value-based portion of these disagreements and provides a rational and supportive process to address disagreements. In this discussion of ECR, common and potentially universal areas of ethical concern in BI rehabilitation are identified, as well as potential risks. Specific examples of the application of ECR in cases of vegetative state, coma stimulation, and cognitive rehabilitation are described.

  10. Trade in human tissue products.

    PubMed

    Tonti-Filippini, Nicholas; Zeps, Nikolajs

    2011-03-07

    Trade in human tissue in Australia is prohibited by state law, and in ethical guidelines by the National Health and Medical Research Council: National statement on ethical conduct in human research; Organ and tissue donation by living donors: guidelines for ethical practice for health professionals. However, trade in human tissue products is a common practice especially for: reconstructive orthopaedic or plastic surgery; novel human tissue products such as a replacement trachea created by using human mesenchymal stem cells; biomedical research using cell lines, DNA and protein provided through biobanks. Cost pressures on these have forced consideration of commercial models to sustain their operations. Both the existing and novel activities require a robust framework to enable commercial uses of human tissue products while maintaining community acceptability of such practices, but to date no such framework exists. In this article, we propose a model ethical framework for ethical governance which identifies specific ethical issues such as: privacy; unique value of a person's tissue; commodification of the body; equity and benefit to the community; perverse incentives; and "attenuation" as a potentially useful concept to help deal with the broad range of subjective views relevant to whether it is acceptable to commercialise certain human tissue products.

  11. The history of ethical decision making in neonatal intensive care.

    PubMed

    Placencia, Frank X; McCullough, Laurence B

    2011-01-01

    Neonatal ethics has focused on 2 questions: is withholding potentially live-saving treatment from neonates ethically justified? and if so, who has the authority to decide? This article details how these questions developed and provides a description of the possible answers. In the first section, we review a selection of seminal articles by noted authors in the fields of ethics, medicine, and law. The second section provides a detailed account of the development of the Baby Doe Regulations and the impact they had on neonatal ethics, with particular attention to the emergence of the Best Interest Standard as a guideline for decision making. In the last section, we review the landmark position statements by the American Academy of Pediatric (AAP), and the focus on evidence-based decision making. We conclude that forgoing life-saving treatment is ethically justified. However, this requires a rigorous evidence-based process and is limited by the Best Interest Standard. The second question is more difficult to answer, but we feel that in light of legal limitations, physicians acting as both the infant advocate and a proxy for the state, decide what falls in the range of acceptable treatment options, with the parents free to choose within that range.

  12. Navigating Ethics in the Digital Age: Introducing Connected and Open Research Ethics (CORE), a Tool for Researchers and Institutional Review Boards

    PubMed Central

    Torous, John

    2017-01-01

    Research studies that leverage emerging technologies, such as passive sensing devices and mobile apps, have demonstrated encouraging potential with respect to favorably influencing the human condition. As a result, the nascent fields of mHealth and digital medicine have gained traction over the past decade as demonstrated in the United States by increased federal funding for research that cuts across a broad spectrum of health conditions. The existence of mHealth and digital medicine also introduced new ethical and regulatory challenges that both institutional review boards (IRBs) and researchers are struggling to navigate. In response, the Connected and Open Research Ethics (CORE) initiative was launched. The CORE initiative has employed a participatory research approach, whereby researchers and IRB affiliates are involved in identifying the priorities and functionality of a shared resource. The overarching goal of CORE is to develop dynamic and relevant ethical practices to guide mHealth and digital medicine research. In this Viewpoint paper, we describe the CORE initiative and call for readers to join the CORE Network and contribute to the bigger conversation on ethics in the digital age. PMID:28179216

  13. Virtue ethics as an alternative to deontological and consequential reasoning in the harm reduction debate.

    PubMed

    Christie, Timothy; Groarke, Louis; Sweet, William

    2008-02-01

    There is strong evidence that harm reduction interventions such as Supervised Injection Sites and Needle Exchange Programs prevent many of the negative consequences of problematic substance use. Yet many governments, including the United States and Canada, still do not endorse these interventions, claiming that they do not get people off of drugs and send a mixed message. This paper will analyze objections to harm reduction in light of the ethical theories of John Stuart Mill, Immanuel Kant and Aristotle. The most important ethical issue in the abstinence vs. harm reduction debate is whether harm reduction - because it does not require individuals to either reduce their consumption of illicit substances or to abstain from illicit substance use - can be ethically justified. Harm reduction interventions are clearly justified on Utilitarian grounds because, based on the evidence, such policies would produce the greatest good for the greatest number. However, Kant would not think that the values guiding harm reduction are ethical because the justification of harm reduction interventions focuses exclusively on examining consequences. Virtue Ethics seeks to find the proper balance between harm reduction and abstinence. We claim that the virtue of compassion would provide a defense of harm reduction.

  14. The status of research ethics in social work.

    PubMed

    Ferguson, Aidan; Clark, James J

    2018-01-01

    Research ethics provide important and necessary standards related to the conduct and dissemination of research. To better understand the current state of research ethics discourse in social work, a systematic literature search was undertaken and numbers of publications per year were compared between STEM, social science, and social work disciplines. While many professions have embraced the need for discipline-specific research ethics subfield development, social work has remained absent. Low publication numbers, compared to other disciplines, were noted for the years (2006-2016) included in the study. Social work published 16 (1%) of the 1409 articles included in the study, contributing 3 (>1%) for each of the disciplines highest producing years (2011 and 2013). Comparatively, psychology produced 75 (5%) articles, psychiatry produced 64 (5%) articles, and nursing added 50 (4%) articles. The STEM disciplines contributed 956 (68%) articles between 2006 and 2016, while social science produced 453 (32%) articles. Examination of the results is provided in an extended discussion of several misconceptions about research ethics that may be found in the social work profession. Implications and future directions are provided, focusing on the need for increased engagement, education, research, and support for a new subfield of social work research ethics.

  15. When sex doesn't sell: using sexualized images of women reduces support for ethical campaigns.

    PubMed

    Bongiorno, Renata; Bain, Paul G; Haslam, Nick

    2013-01-01

    Images of scantily clad women are used by advertisers to make products more attractive to men. This "sex sells" approach is increasingly employed to promote ethical causes, most prominently by the animal-rights organization PETA. Yet sexualized images can dehumanize women, leaving an unresolved paradox--is it effective to advertise an ethical cause using unethical means? In Study 1, a sample of Australian male undergraduates (N = 82) viewed PETA advertisements containing either sexualized or non-sexualized images of women. Intentions to support the ethical organization were reduced for those exposed to the sexualized advertising, and this was explained by their dehumanization of the sexualized women, and not by increased arousal. Study 2 used a mixed-gender community sample from the United States (N = 280), replicating this finding and extending it by showing that behaviors helpful to the ethical cause diminished after viewing the sexualized advertisements, which was again mediated by the dehumanization of the women depicted. Alternative explanations relating to the reduced credibility of the sexualized women and their objectification were not supported. When promoting ethical causes, organizations may benefit from using advertising strategies that do not dehumanize women.

  16. When Sex Doesn't Sell: Using Sexualized Images of Women Reduces Support for Ethical Campaigns

    PubMed Central

    Bongiorno, Renata; Bain, Paul G.; Haslam, Nick

    2013-01-01

    Images of scantily clad women are used by advertisers to make products more attractive to men. This “sex sells” approach is increasingly employed to promote ethical causes, most prominently by the animal-rights organization PETA. Yet sexualized images can dehumanize women, leaving an unresolved paradox – is it effective to advertise an ethical cause using unethical means? In Study 1, a sample of Australian male undergraduates (N = 82) viewed PETA advertisements containing either sexualized or non-sexualized images of women. Intentions to support the ethical organization were reduced for those exposed to the sexualized advertising, and this was explained by their dehumanization of the sexualized women, and not by increased arousal. Study 2 used a mixed-gender community sample from the United States (N = 280), replicating this finding and extending it by showing that behaviors helpful to the ethical cause diminished after viewing the sexualized advertisements, which was again mediated by the dehumanization of the women depicted. Alternative explanations relating to the reduced credibility of the sexualized women and their objectification were not supported. When promoting ethical causes, organizations may benefit from using advertising strategies that do not dehumanize women. PMID:24367591

  17. Hunger, ethics and the right to food.

    PubMed

    Mishra, Srijit

    2012-01-01

    The management of hunger has to look into the issues of availability, accessibility and adequacy of food supply. From an ethical perspective, this paper argues in favour of the right to food. But, for this to become viable, the state has to come up with an appropriate and effective bill on food and nutrition security, address the issue of inadequate provisioning of storage space by state agencies leading to rotting of food grains--a criminal waste when people are dying of hunger; and rely on local level institutions involving the community, that complement the administrative structure to identify the poor and reduce exclusion and inclusion errors.

  18. A Study to Determine if Ethics Committees Should be a Decision-Making and Review Mechanism for Matters Relating to No-Code Orders in the Continental United States Army Medical Department Hospitals with over One Hundred Total Operating Beds

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1984-08-01

    their role in the hospital. The book Megatrends points out that there are six States which set the pace for national trends. One of these is California...care hospitals but two. Again, one must recall what the book Megatrends says about California and national trends. Another key according to this study...Catholic Hospitals," Ethics Committees Newsletter, Vol 1, No. 2, November 1983, p. 2. 7. R. Veatch, Death, PyiLn and the Biological Revolution, New Haven

  19. The Ethics of Rationing of Critical Care Services: Should Technology Assessment Play a Role?

    PubMed Central

    Bloomfield, Eric L.

    2009-01-01

    The costs of health care continue to increase rapidly and steeply in the United States. One area of great expense is that of intensive care units (ICUs). The causes of inflation have not been addressed effectively. ICU resources could become stretched such that they may no longer be available. This paper discusses some of the ethics and concerns behind decision making when providing ICU services in the United States. In particular, the use of electronic records with decision making tools, risk-analysis methods, and documentation of patient wishes for extraordinary care may help with better utilization of resources in the future. PMID:20798878

  20. Public health measures to control tuberculosis in low-income countries: ethics and human rights considerations.

    PubMed

    Kraemer, J D; Cabrera, O A; Singh, J A; Depp, T B; Gostin, L O

    2011-06-01

    In low-income countries, tuberculosis (TB) control measures should be guided by ethical concerns and human rights obligations. Control programs should consider the principles of necessity, reasonableness and effectiveness of means, proportionality, distributive justice, and transparency. Certain measures-detention, infection control, and treatment to prevent transmission-raise particular concerns. While isolation is appropriate under certain circumstances, quarantine is never an acceptable control measure for TB, and any detention must be limited by necessity and conducted humanely. States have a duty to implement hospital infection control to the extent of their available resources and to provide treatment to health care workers (HCWs) infected on the job. HCWs, in turn, have an obligation to provide care unless conditions are unreasonably and unforeseeably unsafe. Finally, states have an obligation to provide adequate access to treatment, as a means of preventing transmission, as broadly as possible and in a non-discriminatory fashion. Along with treatment, states should provide support to increase treatment adherence and retention with respect for patient privacy and autonomy. Compulsory treatment is almost never acceptable. Governments should take care to respect human rights and ethical obligations as they execute TB control programs.

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