scholarly journals Is Technology Value-Neutral?

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boaz Miller
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Innocent Person ◽  
Technological Artifacts ◽  
Figure Of Speech ◽  
Political Evaluation ◽  
Factual Content ◽  
Normative Order ◽  
Proper Subject ◽  
Value Neutrality

According to the Value-Neutrality Thesis (VNT), technology is morally and politically neutral, neither good nor bad. A knife may be put to bad use to murder an innocent person or to good use to peel an apple for a starving person, but the knife itself is a mere instrument, not a proper subject for moral or political evaluation. While contemporary philosophers of technology widely reject the VNT, it remains unclear whether claims about values in technology are just a figure of speech or nontrivial empirical claims with genuine factual content and real-world implications. This paper provides the missing argument. I argue that by virtue of their material properties, technological artifacts are part of the normative order rather than external to it. I illustrate how values can be empirically identified in technology. The reason why value-talk is not trivial or metaphorical is that due to the endurance and longevity of technological artifacts, values embedded in them have long-term implications that surpass their designers and builders. I further argue that taking sides in this debate has real-world implications in the form of moral constraints on the development of technology.

878-P: Real-World Data from U.S. Patients Using a Long-Term Implantable Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) System: Age Effect on Glycemic Control

Diabetes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 878-P
Author(s):  
KATHERINE TWEDEN ◽  
SAMANWOY GHOSH-DASTIDAR ◽  
ANDREW D. DEHENNIS ◽  
FRANCINE KAUFMAN
Keyword(s):  
Glycemic Control ◽  
Continuous Glucose Monitoring ◽  
Real World ◽  
Glucose Monitoring ◽  
Age Effect ◽  
Real World Data ◽  
World Data

OP48 Nursing Requirements In Long-Term Care: A Health Technology Assessment

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (S1) ◽  
pp. 11-12
Author(s):  
Paula Corabian ◽  
Charles Yan ◽  
Susan Armijo-Olivo ◽  
Bing Guo
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Care ◽  
Nursing Staff ◽  
Real World ◽  
Research Evidence ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Staff Time ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Relationship

IntroductionThe objectives of this study were to systematically review published research on the relationship between nursing staff coverage, care hours, and quality of care (QoC) in long-term care (LTC) facilities; and to conduct a real world evidence (RWE) analysis using Alberta real world data (RWD) to inform policy makers on whether any amendments could be made to current regulations.MethodsA systematic review (SR) of research evidence published between January 2000 and May 2018 on the relationship between nursing staff coverage, care hours, and QoC in LTC facilities was conducted. Panel data regressions using available RWD from Alberta, Canada, were performed to assess associations between nursing care hours and LTC outcomes. Outcomes of interest included quality indicators related to resident outcomes, hospital admissions, emergency room visits and family satisfaction. Nursing care hours considered in SR and RWE analysis included those provided by registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs).ResultsThe SR found inconsistent and poor quality evidence relevant to the questions of interest, indicating a great uncertainty about the association between nursing staff time and type of coverage and QoC. Although some positive indications were suggested, major weaknesses of reviewed studies limited interpretation of SR results. RWE analysis found that impact of care hours on LTC outcomes was heterogeneous, dependent on outcome measurements. There was evidence that total staff, RN, and LPN hours had positive effects on some resident outcomes and magnitude of effect differed for different nursing staff.ConclusionsNo definitive conclusion could be drawn on whether changing nursing staff time or nursing staff coverage models would affect residents’ outcomes based on the research evidence gathered in the SR. RWE analysis helped to fill a gap in the available published literature and allowed policy makers to better understand the impact of revising current regulations based on actual outcomes.

scholarly journals Improving the robustness of a service robot for continuous indoor monitoring: An incremental approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 172988142110121
Author(s):  
David Portugal ◽  
André G Araújo ◽  
Micael S Couceiro
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Service Robots ◽  
Service Robot ◽  
Technology Readiness ◽  
Incremental Approach ◽  
Technology Readiness Level ◽  
Readiness Level ◽  
Software And Hardware ◽  
Indoor Monitoring

To move out of the lab, service robots must reveal a proven robustness so they can be deployed in operational environments. This means that they should function steadily for long periods of time in real-world areas under uncertainty, without any human intervention, and exhibiting a mature technology readiness level. In this work, we describe an incremental methodology for the implementation of an innovative service robot, entirely developed from the outset, to monitor large indoor areas shared by humans and other obstacles. Focusing especially on the reliability of the fundamental localization system of the robot in the long term, we discuss all the incremental software and hardware features, design choices, and adjustments conducted, and show their impact on the performance of the robot in the real world, in three distinct 24-h long trials, with the ultimate goal of validating the proposed mobile robot solution for indoor monitoring.

scholarly journals Long-Term Follow-Up of Denosumab Discontinuers with Multiple Vertebral Fractures in the Real-World: A Case Series

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liana Tripto-Shkolnik ◽  
Yair Liel ◽  
Naama Yekutiel ◽  
Inbal Goldshtein
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Vertebral Fractures ◽  
Clinical Laboratory ◽  
Case Series ◽  
High Risk Group ◽  
Imaging Data ◽  
Long Term Follow Up ◽  
Multiple Vertebral Fractures

AbstractDenosumab discontinuation is associated with rapid reversal of bone turnover suppression and with a considerable increase in fracture risk, including a risk for multiple vertebral fractures (MVF). Long-term follow-up of patients who sustained MVF after denosumab discontinuation has not been reported. This case-series was aimed to provide a long-term follow-up on the management and outcome of denosumab discontinuers who initially presented with multiple vertebral fractures. Denosumab discontinuers were identified from a computerized database of a large healthcare provider. Baseline and follow-up clinical, laboratory, and imaging data were obtained from the computerized database and electronic medical records. The post-denosumab discontinuers MVF patients consisted of 12 women aged 71±12. Osteoporotic fractures were prevalent before denosumab discontinuation in 6 of the patients. The majority received bisphosphonates before denosumab. MVF occurred 134±76 days after denosumab discontinuation. The patients were followed for a median of 36.5 (IQR 28.2, 42.5) months after MVF. Two patients passed-away. Two patients suffered recurrent vertebral fractures. Following MVF, patients were treated inconsistently with denosumab, teriparatide, oral, and intravenous bisphosphonates, in various sequences. Two patients underwent vertebroplasty/kyphoplasty. This long-term follow-up of real-world patients with MVF following denosumab discontinuation reveals that management is inconsistent, and recurrent fractures are not uncommon. It calls for clear management guidelines for patients with MVF after denosumab discontinuation and for special attention to this high-risk group.

scholarly journals Long-term effectiveness in patients previously treated with cladribine tablets: a real-world analysis of the Italian multiple sclerosis registry (CLARINET-MS)

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 175628642092268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Patti ◽  
Andrea Visconti ◽  
Antonio Capacchione ◽  
Sanjeev Roy ◽  
Maria Trojano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Real World ◽  
Event Analysis ◽  
Treatment Change ◽  
Real World Data ◽  
Indirect Measure ◽  
Disease Modifying Drugs ◽  
Disease Modifying ◽  
Using Data

Background: The CLARINET-MS study assessed the long-term effectiveness of cladribine tablets by following patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Italy, using data from the Italian MS Registry. Methods: Real-world data (RWD) from Italian MS patients who participated in cladribine tablets randomised clinical trials (RCTs; CLARITY, CLARITY Extension, ONWARD or ORACLE-MS) across 17 MS centres were obtained from the Italian MS Registry. RWD were collected during a set observation period, spanning from the last dose of cladribine tablets during the RCT (defined as baseline) to the last visit date in the registry, treatment switch to other disease-modifying drugs, date of last Expanded Disability Status Scale recording or date of the last relapse (whichever occurred last). Time-to-event analysis was completed using the Kaplan–Meier (KM) method. Median duration and associated 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated from the model. Results: Time span under observation in the Italian MS Registry was 1–137 (median 80.3) months. In the total Italian patient population ( n = 80), the KM estimates for the probability of being relapse-free at 12, 36 and 60 months after the last dose of cladribine tablets were 84.8%, 66.2% and 57.2%, respectively. The corresponding probability of being progression-free at 60 months after the last dose was 63.7%. The KM estimate for the probability of not initiating another disease-modifying treatment at 60 months after the last dose of cladribine tablets was 28.1%, and the median time-to-treatment change was 32.1 (95% CI 15.5–39.5) months. Conclusion: CLARINET-MS provides an indirect measure of the long-term effectiveness of cladribine tablets. Over half of MS patients analysed did not relapse or experience disability progression during 60 months of follow-up from the last dose, suggesting that cladribine tablets remain effective in years 3 and 4 after short courses at the beginning of years 1 and 2.

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