Background Providing understandable information to patients is necessary to achieve the aims of the Informed Consent process: respecting and promoting patients’ autonomy and protecting patients from harm. In recent decades, new, primarily digital technologies have been used to apply and test innovative formats of Informed Consent. We conducted a systematic review to explore the impact of using digital tools for Informed Consent in both clinical research and in clinical practice. Understanding, satisfaction and participation were compared for digital tools versus the (...) non-digital Informed Consent process. Methods We searched for studies on available electronic databases, including Pubmed, EMBASE, and Cochrane. Studies were identified using specific Mesh-terms/keywords. We included studies, published from January 2012 to October 2020, that focused on the use of digital Informed Consent tools for clinical research, or clinical procedures. Digital interventions were defined as interventions that used multimedia or audio–video to provide information to patients. We classified the interventions into 3 different categories: video only, non-interactive multimedia, and interactive multimedia. Results Our search yielded 19,579 publications. After title and abstract screening 100 studies were retained for full-text analysis, of which 73 publications were included. Studies examined interactive multimedia, non-interactive multimedia, and videos, and most studies were conducted on adults. Innovations in consent were tested for clinical/surgical procedures and clinical research. For research IC, 21 outcomes were explored, with a positive effect on at least one of the studied outcomes being observed in 8/12 studies. For clinical/surgical procedures 49 outcomes were explored, and 21/26 studies reported a positive effect on at least one of the studied outcomes. Conclusions Digital technologies for informed consent were not found to negatively affect any of the outcomes, and overall, multimedia tools seem desirable. Multimedia tools indicated a higher impact than videos only. Presence of a researcher may potentially enhance efficacy of different outcomes in research IC processes. Studies were heterogeneous in design, making evaluation of impact challenging. Robust study design including standardization is needed to conclusively assess impact. (shrink)

Sobre la base de la distinción entre bioética feminista y femenina, en el nivel de los supuestos teóricos y de la teoría, el artículo se ocupa de la noción de cuidado y del uso de esta noción en el ámbito de la bioética. A partir del análisis psicológico y moral de C. Gilligan, la autora considera la bioética del cuidado un nuevo paradigma en el ámbito del debate actual, junto a otros enfoques como son el contractualismo, el utilitarismo, la bioética (...) de principios. El cuidado propone un modelo que se refiere a las relaciones, en condiciones de asimetría y de falta de reciprocidad: el cuidado está arraigado en una actitud interior, que implica también empatía, así como un compromiso activo, que se traduce en conducta o acción concreta, en situaciones y contextos específicos de experiencia cotidiana. Se examinan también las críticas a la noción de cuidado, con objeto de verificar, de modo crítico, la relevancia actual del debate bioético y la contribución que puede hacer a nivel teórico y práctico. (shrink)

Our society, in general, and health care, in particular, faces notable challenges due to the emergence of innovative digital technologies. The use of socially assistive robots in aged care is a particular digital application that provokes ethical reflection. The answers we give to the ethical questions associated with socially assistive robots are framed by ontological and anthropological considerations of what constitutes human beings and how the meaning of being human relates to how these robots are conceived. Religious beliefs and secular (...) worldviews, each of which may participate fully in pluralist societies, have an important responsibility in this foundational debate, as anthropological theories can be inspired by religious and secular viewpoints. This article identifies seven anthropological considerations grounded in the synthesis of biblical scriptures, Roman Catholic documents, and recent research literature. We highlight the inspirational quality of these anthropological considerations when dealing with ethical issues regarding the development and use of socially assistive robots in aged care. With this contribution, we aim to foster a global and inclusive dialogue on digitalization in aged care that deeply challenges our basic understanding of what constitutes a human being and how this notion relates to machine artefacts. (shrink)

The aim of the Committee’s discussions is to contribute to giving the conceptual instruments to those in governments and to society, in a broad sense, so as to understand the complex, dynamic, changeable ethical issues and their importance and urgency, envisaging the possible scenarios and lines of action in social policies to be undertaken at public level. These lines of action should attempt, through the search for an ethical balance, to reconcile the needs of science and technology to progress with (...) the protection of human beings, health, environment, and future generations. In this way, ethics committees play a key role in developing and implementing institutional ethics. (shrink)

This article deals with the discussion on the status of the human embryo in Italy on a philosophical, socio-ethical and juridical level before, during and after the law. Different lines of thought are outlined and critically discussed. The focus is the debate over the so-called embryonic stem cells, pointing out the ethical premises and the juridical implications. The regulations in Italy are analysed in detail, referring to legislation and jurisprudence. In particular the author includes evidence for the debate after the (...) law came in, with specific attention on the question of the use of imported embryonic stem cells and public financing for research and the problem of the use of frozen and non-implantable embryos. (shrink)

This book discusses the ethical and legal challenges related to innovations, with reference to both scientific research and emerging technologies. It analyzes scientific research with specific reference to experimentation, with a focus on vulnerable people, compassionate care, biobanks and ethical committees. In the context of emerging technologies, it examines the ethical and legal aspects of neuroscience, genomics, ICT, big data, biometrics, converging technologies, enhancement and robotics. The book provides conceptual tools and categories to help readers understand and acquire a critical (...) awareness of the current debates in the field. (shrink)

Da sempre l’uomo ha cercato di migliorare la sua condizione. Oggi nel contesto del rapido sviluppo della tecno-scienza si aprono nuove possibilità di interventi finalizzati all’enhancement o potenziamento della salute e della vita dell’uomo e della stessa umanità. Molteplici sono gli interrogativi etici emergenti. È lecito usare farmaci e tecnologie non solo per curare malattie, ma anche per potenziare capacità fisiche, mentali ed emotive? È lecito estendere la vita biologicamente ad ogni costo fino alla ‘immortalità terrena’? È lecito selezionare e (...) alterare le caratteristiche genetiche degli individui? È lecito impiantare protesi meccaniche nel cervello per migliorare la mente? È lecito usare farmaci o stimolazioni neurologiche per cancellare ricordi? È lecito costruire computer che imitano la mente e che la sostituiscano? È lecito costruire robot che interagiscano con umani e tra loro? Il modo in cui risponderemo a queste domande sarà determinante non solo per il presente, ma anche per il futuro dell’umanità. Il volume si articola in due parti. Una prima affronta il dibattito sul piano teorico mettendo a confronto gli argomenti favorevoli e contrari all’enhancement in senso generale, allo scopo di delineare una riflessione critica ponderata che giustifichi i requisiti etici minimi per una regolamentazione che non ostacoli l’innovazione ma al tempo stesso sappia tutelare i valori e i diritti fondamentali dell’uomo. La seconda parte analizza i principali ambiti applicativi oggi in discussione: dalle tecnologie esistenti (chirurgia estetica, doping sportivo), alle tecnologie emergenti (potenziamento genetico, biologico, neuro-cognitivo) fino alle tecnologie convergenti (nanotecnologie, biotecnologie, informatica e scienze cognitive) e agli scenari radicali che si prefigurano nel transumanesimo e postumanesimo. (shrink)

El autor analiza, en la perspectiva de la filosofia del derecho, la cuestión de la relación entre derecho y moral en la Evangelium Vitae. En particular, se detiene a analizar las teorías que tematizan la neutralidad del derecho , como la teoría liberal libertaria que identifica el derecho con la garantía de la autonomía individual, y la teoría democrático-procesal que hace coincidir el derecho con el voto de la mayoría. Juan Pablo II critica los caminos postmodernos del derecho, retomando sobre (...) el plano filosófico y teológico la doctrina del derecho natural , que reconoce en el hombre sus derechos inviolables y su dignidad intrínseca. En el horizonte jurisnaturalista, existe un deber moral por parte del ciudadano de criticar y de no obedecer las leyes injustas y por parte del jurista y del político a actuar por abrogar, reformar y reformular con el fin de adecuar el derecho positivo a la exigencias intrínsecas de la naturaleza humana. (shrink)

Over the last few decades an increasingly pressing social demand for access to assisted reproductive technologies (ART) has emerged. Alongside the use of reproductive technologies, relevant bioethical and biolegal issues arise, such as the claim of a “right” to have a child, the so-called “reproductive rights”, of the prospective parents and the rights of children. This paper explores these and further challenges, both old and new, calling for a transformation of parenthood and filiation, from the perspective of the different theories (...) of the contemporary pluralistic debate, with a descriptive and critical analysis of the recent Report on ART of the Unesco International Bioethics Committee, the first global document on these topics. (shrink)

There are three main intersections between transhumanism and the future of work, related to the different meanings of transhumanism: 1. the radical meaning of the transformation of the human condition towards perfection beyond humanity conceived as a limitation ) in the context of the devaluation of the human being1: towards perfection «beyond» the human range in the workplace; 2. the intermediate meaning of enhancement as the quantitative and qualitative increase of human capacities 2: towards perfection «in» humans in the workplace; (...) 3. the use of emerging technologies 3 in order to enhance «human work». (shrink)