On February 26, 2020, the Board on Health Sciences Policy of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine hosted a 1-day public workshop in Washington, DC, to examine current and emerging bioethical issues that might arise in the context of biomedical research and to consider research topics in bioethics that could benefit from further attention. The scope of bioethical issues in research is broad, but this workshop focused on issues related to the development and use of digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and machine learning in research and clinical practice; issues emerging as nontraditional approaches to health research become more widespread; the role of bioethics in addressing racial and structural inequalities in health; and enhancing the capacity and diversity of the bioethics workforce. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

This Open Access book highlights the ethical issues and dilemmas that arise in the practice of public health. It is also a tool to support instruction, debate, and dialogue regarding public health ethics. Although the practice of public health has always included consideration of ethical issues, the field of public health ethics as a discipline is a relatively new and emerging area. There are few practical training resources for public health practitioners, especially resources which include discussion of realistic cases which are likely to arise in the practice of public health. This work discusses these issues on a case to case basis and helps create awareness and understanding of the ethics of public health care. The main audience for the casebook is public health practitioners, including front-line workers, field epidemiology trainers and trainees, managers, planners, and decision makers who have an interest in learning about how to integrate ethical analysis into their day to day public health practice. The casebook is also useful to schools of public health and public health students as well as to academic ethicists who can use the book to teach public health ethics and distinguish it from clinical and research ethics.

Natural disasters and cholera outbreaks. Ebola, SARS, and concerns over pandemic flu. HIV and AIDS. E. coli outbreaks from contaminated produce and fast foods. Threats of bioterrorism. Contamination of compounded drugs. Vaccination refusals and outbreaks of preventable diseases. These are just some of the headlines from the last 30-plus years highlighting the essential roles and responsibilities of public health, all of which come with ethical issues and the responsibilities they create. Public health has achieved extraordinary successes. And yet these successes also bring with them ethical tension. Not all public health successes are equally distributed in the population; extraordinary health disparities between rich and poor still exist. The most successful public health programs sometimes rely on policies that, while improving public health conditions, also limit individual rights. Public health practitioners and policymakers face these and other questions of ethics routinely in their work, and they must navigate their sometimes competing responsibilities to the health of the public with other important societal values such as privacy, autonomy, and prevailing cultural norms. This Oxford Handbook provides a sweeping and comprehensive review of the current state of public health ethics, addressing these and numerous other questions. Taking account of the wide range of topics under the umbrella of public health and the ethical issues raised by them, this volume is organized into fifteen sections. It begins with two sections that discuss the conceptual foundations, ethical tensions, and ethical frameworks of and for public health and how public health does its work. The thirteen sections that follow examine the application of public health ethics considerations and approaches across a broad range of public health topics. While chapters are organized into topical sections, each chapter is designed to serve as a standalone contribution. The book includes 73 chapters covering many topics from varying perspectives, a recognition of the diversity of the issues that define public health ethics in the U.S. and globally. This Handbook is an authoritative and indispensable guide to the state of public health ethics today.

Privacy is one of the most urgent issues associated with information technology and digital media. This book claims that what people really care about when they complain and protest that privacy has been violated is not the act of sharing information itself—most people understand that this is crucial to social life —but the inappropriate, improper sharing of information. Arguing that privacy concerns should not be limited solely to concern about control over personal information, Helen Nissenbaum counters that information ought to be distributed and protected according to norms governing distinct social contexts—whether it be workplace, health care, schools, or among family and friends. She warns that basic distinctions between public and private, informing many current privacy policies, in fact obscure more than they clarify. In truth, contemporary information systems should alarm us only when they function without regard for social norms and values, and thereby weaken the fabric of social life.

Leading scholars in bioethics and public health ethics clarify the key values and norms of emergency planning and response and address ethical issues relating to the allocation of scarce resources, research in the context of emergencies, community participation in preparedness planning, the protection of those with special needs, and the duties public health professionals.

Public health guidelines and policies relating to digital public health are essential to ensuring the protection of the population. With this protection, there needs to be a consideration for the ethical challenges in public health. There is an obligation of care that comes with accessing health services, as well as a need for understanding the role of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. As health challenges become more complex, there is a growing need to identify and address questions on existing public health policies, codes of conduct, and guidelines relating to the provision of medical care across the globe, in order to strengthen our understanding of the ethics of public health practices.

Participatory Health through Social Media explores how traditional models of healthcare can be delivered differently through social media and online games, and how these technologies are changing the relationship between patients and healthcare professionals, as well as their impact on health behavior change. The book also examines how the hospitals, public health authorities, and inspectorates are currently using social media to facilitate both information distribution and collection. Also looks into the opportunities and risks to record and analyze epidemiologically relevant data retrieved from the Internet, social media, sensor data, and other digital sources. The book encompasses topics such as patient empowerment, gamification and social games, and the relationships between social media, health behavior change, and health communication crisis during epidemics. Additionally, the book analyzes the possibilities of big data generated through social media. Authored by IMIA Social Media working group, this book is a valuable resource for healthcare researchers and professionals, as well as clinicians interested in using new media as part of their practice or research. - Presents a multidisciplinary point of view providing the readers with a broader perspective - Brings the latest case studies and technological advances in the area, supported by an active international community of members who actively work in this area - Endorsed by IMIA Social Media workgroup, guaranteeing trustable information from the most relevant experts on the subject - Examines how the hospitals, public health authorities, and inspectorates are currently using social media to facilitate both information distribution and collection