Engineering innovation in healthcare: technology, ethics and persons

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Engineering Ethics
• Health Technology Assessment

Background:

• Engineering significantly impacts public health through infrastructure and manufacturing.
• Traditional engineering ethics focus on community benefits, contrasting with medical ethics' patient-centric approach.
• Technological advancements are blurring the lines between engineering and healthcare professions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the ethical implications of emerging engineering innovations in healthcare.
• To outline approaches to engineering ethics for new health technologies.
• To guide engineers in navigating the complex ethical landscape of healthcare technology.

Main Methods:

• Review of engineering ethics principles.
• Application of ethical frameworks to healthcare innovations.
• Categorization of innovations: assistive technologies, telehealthcare, and quasi-autonomous systems.

Main Results:

• Healthcare engineering innovations present unique ethical opportunities and challenges.
• Increased technological complexity necessitates closer engineer-user collaboration.
• Engineers require enhanced knowledge of human biology and psychology.

Conclusions:

• Future healthcare engineers must prioritize individual well-being, agency, and relationships.
• Ethical practice in healthcare engineering demands a shift from technology-centered to person-centered approaches.
• Engineers need to integrate biological and psychological understanding into their design and operational processes.