scholarly journals Computing Fairness: Ethics of Modeling and Simulation in Public Health

SIMULATION ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 003754972093265
Author(s):  
Marieke A R Bak
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Modeling And Simulation ◽  
Computational Models ◽  
Moral Dilemmas ◽  
Computer Models ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Ethical Perspective ◽  
Automated External Defibrillators ◽  
Theory Of Justice ◽  
Ethical Implications

The field of public health increasingly utilizes computational models. In this context, computer scientists are confronted with moral dilemmas like those around modeling the distribution of scarce resources. However, there is a lack of research on the ethical implications of computer modeling and simulation (M&S). In this paper I aim to show that taking a transdisciplinary ethical perspective is useful when analyzing these implications. The practice of modeling geospatial distribution of automated external defibrillators for sudden cardiac arrest treatment is used as a case study. It is shown that there exists no consensus on what theory of justice should underlie choices in computer M&S of public health resources, and that professionals struggle with building equity considerations into their models. The example highlights new ethical consequences arising at the nexus of public health and M&S. Computer models and simulations are not morally neutral, but have the effect of making those involved in their creation more responsible for making just choices. For some moral dilemmas, such as those related to distributive justice, there may be no correct solution that can be readily modeled. Promoting professional responsibility through a code of ethics will not help prescribe a right course of action in these situations. I suggest therefore that procedural justice and deliberation with a range of stakeholders is needed to take ethical considerations into account “by design” when developing computer models and simulations for public health policy. Future research should reflect on the content and practical procedures for these deliberations.

scholarly journals The need for ethical reflection on the use of molecular microbial characterisation in outbreak management

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
B Rump ◽  
C Cornelis ◽  
F Woonink ◽  
M Verweij
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Public Health Practice ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Molecular Techniques ◽  
Ethical Perspective ◽  
Outbreak Management ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Current Thinking ◽  
Operational Issues

Current thinking on the development of molecular microbial characterisation techniques in public health focuses mainly on operational issues that need to be resolved before incorporation into daily practice can take place. Notwithstanding the importance of these operational challenges, it is also essential to formulate conditions under which such microbial characterisation methods can be used from an ethical perspective. The potential ability of molecular techniques to show relational patterns between individuals with more certainty brings a new sense of urgency to already difficult ethical issues associated with privacy, consent and a moral obligation to avoid spreading a disease. It is therefore important that professionals reflect on the ethical implications of using these techniques in outbreak management, in order to be able to formulate the conditions under which they may be applied in public health practice.

scholarly journals An ethical perspective of business CSR and the COVID-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 235-253
Author(s):  
Timothy Manuel ◽  
Terri L. Herron
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Ethical Perspective ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Individual Health ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
External Stakeholders ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on business responses to the pandemic through an ethical lens and to make recommendations for future research in this unique environment. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic presents many ethical implications for businesses’ responses in balancing individual health and firm risks during the initial and recovery stages. What decisions are businesses making in this pandemic environment? What ethical foundations most align with these decisions? Design/methodology/approach The authors review recent business actions taken in response to the pandemic in light of models of motivation for corporate social responsibility (CSR). Findings Businesses have engaged in a wide range of philanthropic CSR actions during the pandemic, likely motivated by both utilitarianism and deontological factors in response to the needs of internal and external stakeholders. The pandemic has disparate impacts, generally hurting lower-income individuals more, likely increasing inequality. Research limitations/implications There are many questions for future research to determine where pandemic-related CSR has different effects for businesses over the long term compared to the pre-pandemic environment. Social implications Businesses must act to benefit society, protect employees and maintain the trust of their stakeholders during the pandemic. Originality/value Existing models have examined corporate disaster philanthropic responses that were localized and acute. Business responses to the COVID-19 virus are unique given the severity, the widespread nature and the duration of the crisis.

scholarly journals OPTIMIZATION MODELS FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND POST-DISASTER DELIVERY LOGISTICS: A REVIEW OF CURRENT APPROACHES

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 35-49
Author(s):  
Sampson E. Akwafuo ◽  
Armin R. Mikler ◽  
Fariba A. Irany
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Emergency Response ◽  
Computational Models ◽  
Artificial Immune Systems ◽  
Optimization Models ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Biologically Inspired ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Delivery Models

Emergency response preparedness increases disaster resilience and mitigates its possible impacts, mostly in public health emergencies. Prompt activation of these response plans and rapid optimization of delivery models and are essential for effective management of emergencies and disaster. In this paper, existing computational models and algorithms for routing deliveries and logistics during public health emergencies are identified. An overview of recent developments of optimization models and contributions, with emphasis on their applications in situations of uncertainties and unreliability, as obtainable in low-resource countries, is presented. Specific recent improvements in biologically-inspired and intelligent algorithms, genetic algorithms, and artificial immune systems techniques are surveyed. The research gaps are identified, and suggestions for potential future research concentrations are proffered.

scholarly journals What are the ethical implications of using prize-based contingency management in substance use? A scoping review

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilou Gagnon ◽  
Alayna Payne ◽  
Adrian Guta
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Contingency Management ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Ethical Implication ◽  
Structural Determinants ◽  
Positive Direction ◽  
Ethical Implications

Abstract Background The area of substance use is notable for its early uptake of incentives and wealth of research on the topic. This is particularly true for prize-based contingency management (PB-CM), a particular type of incentive that uses a fishbowl prize-draw design. Given that PB-CM interventions are gaining momentum to address the dual public health crises of opiate and stimulant use in North America and beyond, it is imperative that we better understand and critically analyze their implications. Purpose The purpose of this scoping review paper is to identify the characteristics of PB-CM interventions for people who use substances and explore ethical implications documented in the literature as well as emerging ethical implications that merit further consideration. Methods The PRISMA-ScR checklist was used in conjunction with Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework to guide this scoping review. We completed a two-pronged analysis of 52 research articles retrieved through a comprehensive search across three key scholarly databases. After extracting descriptive data from each article, we used 9 key domains to identify characteristics of the interventions followed by an analysis of ethical implications. Results We analyzed the characteristics of PB-CM interventions which were predominantly quantitative studies aimed at studying the efficacy of PB-CM interventions. All of the interventions used a prize-draw format with a classic magnitude of 50%. Most of the interventions combined both negative and positive direction to reward processes, behaviors, and/or outcomes. One ethical implication was identified in the literature: the risk of gambling relapse. We also found three emerging ethical implications by further analyzing participant characteristics, intervention designs, and potential impact on the patient–provider relationship. These implications include the potential deceptive nature of PB-CM, the emphasis placed on the individual behaviors to the detriment of social and structural determinants of health, and failures to address vulnerability and power dynamics. Conclusions This scoping review offers important insights into the ethics on PB-CM and its implications for research ethics, clinical ethics, and public health ethics. Additionally, it raises important questions that can inform future research and dialogues to further tease out the ethical issues associated with PB-CM.

The Rise of Anchor Institutions and the Threat to Community Health: Protecting Community Wealth, Building Community Power

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence T. Brown ◽  
Ashley Bachelder ◽  
Marisela B. Gomez ◽  
Alicia Sherrell ◽  
Imani Bryan
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Anchor Institutions ◽  
Health Related Research ◽  
Research Parks ◽  
Wealth Building

Academic institutions are increasingly playing pivotal roles in economic development and community redevelopment in cities around the United States. Many are functioning in the role of anchor institutions and building technology, biotechnology, or research parks to facilitate biomedical research. In the process, universities often partner with local governments, implementing policies that displace entire communities and families, thereby inducing a type of trauma that researcher Mindy Thompson Fullilove has termed “root shock.” We argue that displacement is a threat to public health and explore the ethical implications of university-led displacement on public health research, especially the inclusion of vulnerable populations into health-related research. We further explicate how the legal system has sanctioned the exercise of eminent domain by private entities such as universities and developers.Strategies that communities have employed in order to counter such threats are highlighted and recommended for communities that may be under the threat of university-led displacement. We also offer a critical look at the three dominant assumptions underlying university-sponsored development: that research parks are engines of economic development, that deconcentrating poverty via displacement is effective, and that poverty is simply the lack of economic or financial means. Understanding these fallacies will help communities under the threat of university-sponsored displacement to protect community wealth, build power, and improve health.

Refashioning Immigration: On the Possible Correlation between Ethical and Theological Approaches to Migratory Justice

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raul Zegarra
Keyword(s):  
Theory Of Justice ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Catholic Religion ◽  
The Usa

This paper addresses the ethical implications of immigration, which is viewed as a justice issue. Immigration will be approached from the concept of citizenship and social membership, conceived by Joseph Carens. Then a theory of justice will be considered regarding immigration, after which the issue of Latino/a migration to the USA will be considered, as well as the role Catholic religion can play and how it could contribute in this particular quest for justice.

Recent Advances on the Semi-Supervised Learning for Long Non-Coding RNA-Protein Interactions Prediction: A Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 385-391
Author(s):  
Lin Zhong ◽  
Zhong Ming ◽  
Guobo Xie ◽  
Chunlong Fan ◽  
Xue Piao
Keyword(s):  
Supervised Learning ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Computational Models ◽  
Prediction Models ◽  
Chromatin Modification ◽  
Computational Prediction ◽  
Human Diseases ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Non Coding Rna ◽  
Long Non Coding Rna

: In recent years, more and more evidence indicates that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) plays a significant role in the development of complex biological processes, especially in RNA progressing, chromatin modification, and cell differentiation, as well as many other processes. Surprisingly, lncRNA has an inseparable relationship with human diseases such as cancer. Therefore, only by knowing more about the function of lncRNA can we better solve the problems of human diseases. However, lncRNAs need to bind to proteins to perform their biomedical functions. So we can reveal the lncRNA function by studying the relationship between lncRNA and protein. But due to the limitations of traditional experiments, researchers often use computational prediction models to predict lncRNA protein interactions. In this review, we summarize several computational models of the lncRNA protein interactions prediction base on semi-supervised learning during the past two years, and introduce their advantages and shortcomings briefly. Finally, the future research directions of lncRNA protein interaction prediction are pointed out.

The Perils of Partnership

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan H. Marks
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
Separation Of Powers ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
Public Bodies

Collaboration with industry has become the paradigm in public health. Governments commonly develop close relationships with companies that are creating or exacerbating the very problems public health agencies are trying to solve. Nowhere is this more evident than in partnerships with food and soda companies to address obesity and diet-related noncommunicable diseases. The author argues that public-private partnerships and multistakeholder initiatives create webs of influence that undermine the integrity of public health agencies; distort public health research and policy; and reinforce the framing of public health problems and their solutions in ways that are least threatening to the commercial interests of corporate “partners.” We should expect multinational corporations to develop strategies of influence. But public bodies need to develop counter-strategies to insulate themselves from corporate influence in all its forms. The author reviews the ways in which we regulate public-public interactions (separation of powers) and private-private interactions (antitrust and competition laws), and argues for an analogous set of norms to govern public-private interactions. The book also offers a novel framework that is designed to help public bodies identify the systemic ethical implications of their existing or proposed relationships with industry actors. The book makes a compelling case that, in public health, the paradigm public-private interaction should be at arm’s length: separation, not collaboration. The author calls for a new paradigm to protect and promote public health while avoiding the ethical perils of partnership with industry.

Communicable and Other Infectious Diseases

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Frischhut
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
European Union ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Eu Law ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Ethical Perspective ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Environment Agency ◽  
And Control

This chapter discusses the most important features of EU law on infectious diseases. Communicable diseases not only cross borders, they also often require measures that cross different areas of policy because of different vectors for disease transmission. The relevant EU law cannot be attributed to one sectoral policy only, and thus various EU agencies participate in protecting public health. The key agency is the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Other important agencies include the European Environment Agency; European Food Safety Authority; and the Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency. However, while integration at the EU level has facilitated protection of the public's health, it also has created potential conflicts among the different objectives of the European Union. The internal market promotes the free movement of products, but public health measures can require restrictions of trade. Other conflicts can arise if protective public health measures conflict with individual human rights. The chapter then considers risk assessment and the different tools of risk management used in dealing with the challenges of infectious diseases. It also turns to the external and ethical perspective and the role the European Union takes in global health.

scholarly journals From hostile worlds to multiple spheres: towards a normative pragmatics of justice for the Googlization of health

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamar Sharon
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Market Value ◽  
Theory Of Justice ◽  
Alternative Framework ◽  
Orders Of Worth ◽  
Public Health Institutions ◽  
Health Institutions ◽  
Normative Pragmatics ◽  
The Many ◽  
Critical Perspectives

AbstractThe datafication and digitalization of health and medicine has engendered a proliferation of new collaborations between public health institutions and data corporations like Google, Apple, Microsoft and Amazon. Critical perspectives on these new partnerships tend to frame them as an instance of market transgressions by tech giants into the sphere of health and medicine, in line with a “hostile worlds” doctrine that upholds that the borders between market and non-market spheres should be carefully policed. This article seeks to outline the limitations of this common framing for critically understanding the phenomenon of the Googlization of health. In particular, the mobilization of a diversity of non-market value statements in the justification work carried out by actors involved in the Googlization of health indicates the co-presence of additional worlds or spheres in this context, which are not captured by the market vs. non-market dichotomy. It then advances an alternative framework, based on a multiple-sphere ontology that draws on Boltanski and Thevenot’s orders of worth and Michael Walzer’s theory of justice, which I call a normative pragmatics of justice. This framework addresses both the normative deficit in Boltanski and Thevenot’s work and provides an important emphasis on the empirical workings of justice. Finally, I discuss why this framework is better equipped to identify and to address the many risks raised by the Googlization of health and possibly other dimensions of the digitalization and datafication of society.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document