Question

Describe a recent example of ethical issues related to medical technology. Briefly describe the ethical dilemma and the outcome as it currently stands. What are some of the ethical issues surrounding the development and use of medical technology?

As a group, please critique HIPAA and HITECH in how well you believe they protect patient data collected through medical technology?

Answer 1

Ans) The ethical principles include autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice, and fidelity . Physicians should encourage dialogue about end-of- life care and use of advance directives so that autonomy can be preserved even if patient's decision- making capacity is lost.

- The committee recommends that the Privacy Rule permit medical facilities to inform patients in advance that PHI might be used for health research (with IRB/Privacy Board oversight) or for public health purposes, and the Privacy Rule should be altered to exempt these activities from AOD requirements.

- Until then, the committee recommends that disclosures of PHI made for health research and public health purposes be exempted from the HIPAA Privacy Rule’s AOD requirement. However, in the interest of transparency, institutions should maintain a list, accessible to the public, of all studies approved by its IRB or Privacy Board.

HHS should also simplify the criteria that IRBs and Privacy Boards use in making determinations for when they can waive the requirements to obtain authorization from each patient whose PHI will be used.