Ethical and Legal Challenges of Digital Medicine in Pandemics Opportunities—Risks—Compromises

Timo Minssen, Sara Gerke

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting restrictions on mobility, contact bans, mobile phone surveillance apps, and other strategies for containment of infection chains have led to a clear increase in the use of digital applications in public and private healthcare in the past year. Improved data analysis in the research, development, and testing of new therapies, as well as the growing potential of artificial intelligence for rapidly developed diagnostic methods and vaccine candidates, has also resulted in increased demand and application of digital aids among doctors, patients, hospitals, researchers, and companies. However, the use of these technical innovations has been accompanied by socio-economic and political discussions as well as lively ethical and legal debates. Issues such as data protection, cyber security, consent, transparency, discrimination, ownership, and a fair distribution and access to digital opportunities play an important role here. This chapter discusses central ethical and legal issues using concrete examples and provides an in-depth discussion of selected issues that not only illustrate ethical and legal problem areas and risks, but also show possible solutions.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationPandemics and Ethics Development – Problems – Solutions
PublisherSpringer Berlin
Pages165-202
Number of pages38
ISBN (Electronic)9783662668726
ISBN (Print)9783662668719
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2023

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Social Sciences
  • General Medicine

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