Question

Using academic scholarly research, find an article that addresses an ethical dilemma from the past five years and annotate it thoroughly. What are the key points to the article? Summarize the dilemma. What are the key terms of the article? What conflicts or controversies does it raise? Where can you offer analysis or an original point of view? Once you have a handle on the article and your reaction to the issues it raises, use it as a foundation to

Create your own 2-4 paragraph "dilemma.”

Apply Kant’s Categorical Imperative to the problem you invent.

Apply any other philosopher's theory you have encountered in lecture material and the readings.

State which method you prefer and why.

Your paper should be 3 pages. You MUST provide the source of the foundation dilemma, and thus this paper will require 1 reference. Use APA format in citing the source. Refer to course resources for details and help in achieving APA style.

Answer 1

Ethical issues in epidemiologic research and public health practice

Key points :

Public health ethics.

Principles of ethics

Surveillance in public health

Ethical issues in public health surveillance

This article provides an overview of ethical issues in epidemiologic research and public health practice for readers who do not necessarily have an in-depth knowledge of public health ethics. In the discussion that follows, a summary is provided of current definitions and conceptualizations of public health ethics and key ethical concerns in the field. The article shares the various public epidemiological and public health issues in common .

Here the ethical issue related to the public health is addressed here:

Public health ethics, can be defined as the identification, analysis, and resolution of ethical problems arising in public health practice and research, has different domains from those of medical ethics. Ethical concerns in public health often relate to the dual obligations of public health professionals to acquire and apply scientific knowledge aimed at restoring and protecting the public's health while respecting individual autonomy .Ethics in public health involves an interplay between protecting the welfare of the individual, as in medicine, and the public health goal of protecting the public welfare.

The four principles of beneficence, non maleficence, justice, and respect for autonomy are mentioned in ethics guidelines are drafted for public health professionals.Although the guidelines do not provide an exhaustive account of how the principles can be used as a framework for ethical decision making

Ethical issues in public health practice of surveillance.

Surveillance can be defined as the ongoing, systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of outcome-specific data, with the timely dissemination of these data to those responsible for preventing and controlling disease or injury . It is a fundamental public health activity to measure and monitor changes in health status, risk factors, and health service access and utilization. The effective dissemination of information is as important as data collection and analysis

Data collected through surveillance systems provide for the ongoing evaluation of disease risk factors, incidence, and mortality, and allow for the evaluation of health care utilization, treatment, and disease prevention and control activities. These and other benefits of public health surveillance must be balanced against possible risks and harms, such as infringements on personal privacy. The need to balance potential benefits against risks underlines the rule that surveillance data should not be collected if they will not be used .Thus, public health professionals have ethical obligations to both maximize the potential benefits of routinely collected surveillance and disease registry data and minimize risks and potential harms. Steps taken to assure the quality of data collected by public health surveillance systems and disease registries maximize the potential benefits of the data. Registry data must be accurate, complete, and timely.

Controversies :

Potential harms and risks from the collection and use of surveillance and registry data include loss of privacy and harms resulting from breaches of confidentiality. These risks are remote possibilities because of the steps taken by public health professionals to safeguard the confidentiality of personally identifiable records in surveillance systems and registries, such as data encryption, written policies and procedures for confidentiality and disclosure of data, and training of staff.

The   growing interest in ethical issues in public health practice reflects the societal role in public health and the growing public interest in the scientific integrity of health information and the equitable distribution of health care resources. Attention to ethical issues can facilitate the effective planning, implementation, and growth of a variety of public health programs and research activities.

Kant’s Categorical Imperative applied in this are formula of humanity and Autonomy.

The priciples of humanity and autonomy is violated by loss of privacy,potential harm , breech of confidentiality.

References

1.      Lappe M, Ethics and public health. Maxcy-Rosenau's public health and preventive medicine 12th editions. Edited by: Last JM. Norwalk, CT: Appleton-Century-Crofts; 1986:1867-77.Google Scholar

2.      Soskolne CL: Rationalizing professional conduct: ethics in disease control. Public Health Rev. 1991, 19: 311-21.PubMedGoogle Scholar

3.      Coughlin SS, Beauchamp TL: Historical foundations. Ethics and Epidemiology New York: Oxford University Press; 1996:5-23.Google Scholar

4.      Coughlin SS, Ethics in epidemiology and public health practice. Ethics in epidemiology and public health practice: collected works Columbus, GA: Quill Publications; 1997:9-26.

5.      Steven S CoughlinEmail author