Integrating Ethics Into Professional Decision-Making and Practice in Disability Studies

INTRODUCTION:The objective was to identify the conceptual and methodological issues surrounding integration of ethics in Health Technology Assessment (HTA). We conducted a systematic review examining: (i) social needs, (ii) methodological and procedural barriers, (iii) concepts or processes of ethics assessment used and (iv) results of experimentations for integrating ethics in HTA.METHODS:Search criteria included ‘ethic’, ‘technology assessment’ and ‘HTA’. The literature search was done up to 21 November 2016 in Medline/Ovid, SCOPUS, CINAHL, PsycINFO and international HTA Database. Screening of citations, screening of full-text and data extraction were performed by two subgroups of two independent reviewers. The first group was constituted of HTA experts, and the second of ethics and philosophy experts. Data extracted from articles were regrouped in categories for each objective.RESULTS:A list of 2,420 citations was obtained while 1,646 remained after the removal of duplicates. Of these, 132 were fully reviewed, yielding 67 eligible articles for analysis. Eight categories were identified within the social needs. The mostly evoked were ‘Informed policy decision making’ (n = 16) and 'Informed public/patient decision making’ (n = 12). Ten categories of methodological and procedural barriers were identified. The most mentioned were 'Lack of standardized and recognized proceedings for ethical analysis’ (n = 28) and ‘Lack of shared consensus on the role of ethical theory and ethical expertise’ (n = 17). Within the concepts or processes of ethics assessment, thirteen categories were identified. The most mentioned were ‘Fairness and Equity’ (n = 12), ‘Beneficence and Non-maleficence’ (n = 10) and, ‘Autonomy’ (n = 10). Within results of experimentations, five categories were identified. The most mentioned was ‘Usefulness of ethics for identifying relevant problems’ (n = 3). While few experimentations were identified, no clear operational method was found in our research.CONCLUSIONS:This study confirms the necessity to design an operational method integrating ethics and addressing social needs of HTA. Our results constitute the basis for developing a new theoretical and practical method.

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Integrating ethics and palliative care concepts into pediatric end of life care and decision-making: A changing landscape?

Paediatric Respiratory Reviews ◽

10.1016/j.prrv.2018.12.003 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 ◽

pp. 1-2

Author(s):

Lori Seller ◽

Lisa Anne Rasmussen

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Palliative Care ◽

End Of Life ◽

End Of Life Care ◽

Life Care ◽

Integrating Ethics

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PP131 Eliciting Implicit Value-Judgments In The HTA Process

International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care ◽

10.1017/s0266462318002672 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 34 (S1) ◽

pp. 118-118

Author(s):

Johane Patenaude ◽

Suzanne Kocsis-Bédard ◽

Jean-Pierre Béland ◽

Christian Bellemare ◽

Louise Bernier ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Research Group ◽

Philosophy Of Language ◽

Speech Acts ◽

Final Conclusion ◽

Final Report ◽

Value Judgments ◽

Philosophical Approach ◽

A Value ◽

Integrating Ethics

Introduction:Eliciting implicit value-judgments (VJs) in the HTA process is one way of integrating ethics in HTA since the latter is recognized as a value-laden process. An analysis of the diversity of opinions on implicit VJs in HTA and of their role, highlights the connection there exists between VJs and the different decisions involved in the whole HTA process. Such a link is corroborated by a conceptual analysis of VJ using a speech-act philosophical approach grounded in the philosophy of language, since VJs are linked with normative speech-acts such as commands, recommendations and advices.Methods:We propose an analysis of the published citations mentioning VJs, extracted from our systematic review on the challenges of integrating ethics in HTA. In order to do so, those quotes were categorized in a chart, the latter of which presents: (i) the different steps of decision-making in the HTA process, (ii) the description of the implicit VJ(s) and (iii) the criteria involved. This chart was elaborated with the participation of the HTA local evaluators involved as co-investigators in our research group. The final version was discussed, debated and validated by the entire research group.Results:The chart shows 18 decision-making steps in the HTA process in which twenty-three implicit VJs can be observed. The range of such VJs encompasses the whole HTA process from the initial mandate to the agency presenting the decisional issues, to the dissemination of the final report. The published citations gathered for each category compile different expectations on the elicitation of the implicit VJs, thus making the latter VJs more explicit.Conclusions:This chart allows a better understanding of the expectations that are at the core of the appeal for more transparency in the HTA process, since stakeholders need to understand which value-judgments the final conclusion of a report is relying on.

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Integrating Ethics into Engineering Education

Advances in Civil and Industrial Engineering - Contemporary Ethical Issues in Engineering ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-8130-9.ch012 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 159-173 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Chunfang Zhou ◽

Kathrin Otrel-Cass ◽

Tom Børsen

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Engineering Education ◽

Engineering Design ◽

Learning Environments ◽

Risk Perceptions ◽

Design Problems ◽

Engineering Design Problems ◽

The Difference ◽

Integrating Ethics ◽

Engineering Practices

In this chapter, the authors aim to explore the necessity of teaching ethics as part of engineering education based on the gaps between learning “hard” knowledge and “soft” skills in the current educational system. They discuss why the nature of engineering practices makes it difficult to look beyond dealing with engineering design problems, identify the difference between knowledge and risk perceptions, and how to manage such tensions. They also explore the importance of developing moral responsibilities of engineers and the need to humanize technology and engineering, as technological products are not value neutral. With a focus on Problem-Based Learning (PBL), the authors examine why engineers need to incorporate ethical codes in their decision-making process and professional tasks. Finally, they discuss how to build creative learning environments that can support attaining the objectives of engineering education.

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Dialectical Interactions: Decoupling and Integrating Ethics in Ethics Initiatives

Business Ethics Quarterly ◽

10.5840/beq200717227 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 217-238 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Spoma Jovanovic ◽

Roy V. Wood

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Local Government ◽

Ethical Decision ◽

Ethical Decision Making ◽

Organizational Life ◽

Complex Interactions ◽

Ethics Code ◽

Positive Feature ◽

Integrating Ethics ◽

Do So

ABSTRACT:Evidence abounds that when ethics initiatives are decoupled from the actual work of organizations, ethics policies may become little more than “window dressing” (Weaver, Trevino, and Cochran 1999; Collen and Gonella 2002). We found, however, an unexpected, positive feature of decoupling in the study of a local government; namely, when organizational members engage in discussions that turn away from the letter of an ethics code they often do so to address higher ethical principles embedded in the spirit of the code. The decoupled understanding of the code in these cases becomes a symbolic, legitimating gesture grounded not in strict provisions but in creative and complex interactions. This counterintuitive explanation of decoupling capitalizes on discourse that evolves from a legalistic interpretation to rich discussions that value the multiplicity of voices within organizational life. What follows is that ethical decision making emerges as creative, dynamic, and responsive to its constituents.

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Discarding optimality: Throwing out the baby with the bathwater?

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x18001401 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 41 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Patrick Simen ◽

Fuat Balcı

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Perceptual Decision Making ◽

Reward Rate ◽

Perceptual Decision ◽

Standard Observer ◽

Rate Maximization ◽

Reward Rate Maximization ◽

Descriptive Standard ◽

Observer Model

AbstractRahnev & Denison (R&D) argue against normative theories and in favor of a more descriptive “standard observer model” of perceptual decision making. We agree with the authors in many respects, but we argue that optimality (specifically, reward-rate maximization) has proved demonstrably useful as a hypothesis, contrary to the authors’ claims.

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LPCD framework: Analytical tool or psychological model?

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x18001383 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 41 ◽

Author(s):

David Danks

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Analytical Tool ◽

Mathematical Framework ◽

Bayesian Decision ◽

Perceptual Decision Making ◽

Psychological Model ◽

Psychological Reality ◽

Psychological Theories ◽

Target Article ◽

Bayesian Decision Making

AbstractThe target article uses a mathematical framework derived from Bayesian decision making to demonstrate suboptimal decision making but then attributes psychological reality to the framework components. Rahnev & Denison's (R&D) positive proposal thus risks ignoring plausible psychological theories that could implement complex perceptual decision making. We must be careful not to slide from success with an analytical tool to the reality of the tool components.

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Elaborating the role of reflection and individual differences in the study of folk-economic beliefs

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x18000274 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 41 ◽

Author(s):

Kevin Arceneaux

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Cognitive Processes ◽

Evolutionary History ◽

Behavioral Responses ◽

History Of ◽

Economic Beliefs

AbstractIntuitions guide decision-making, and looking to the evolutionary history of humans illuminates why some behavioral responses are more intuitive than others. Yet a place remains for cognitive processes to second-guess intuitive responses – that is, to be reflective – and individual differences abound in automatic, intuitive processing as well.

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