Digital Health Transformation Impact on Health and Inclusion: Some Moral Considerations [Raboan Discussion Forum]

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Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities held Raboan Discussion Forum on Wednesday (25/01). The weekly discussion forum raised topic Digital Health Transformation Impact on Health and Inclusion: Some Moral Considerations. The topic was presented by Abdul Rohman, PhD. and lead by moderator Erlin Erlina, PhD.

People with disabilities (PwD) have faced challenges accessing information related to the pandemic, including vaccination programs, indicating an inconsistent implementation of social inclusion principles in the pandemic response plans. In response, three organizations of PwD in Vietnam organized five online information sessions between late 2021 and early 2022 when major cities in Vietnam were on lockdown. During each session, medical experts shared pandemic and vaccination-related information with 209 participants. After the session, participants were asked to rate their confidence in COVID-19 vaccines, share what information they needed, what information sources they used, and how to improve the inclusiveness of vaccination programs. The study found that PwD in Vietnam are willing to take vaccines, but making a range of information sources accessible to them can help communicate the side effects of the vaccines to their specific health conditions. It is important to consistently implement disability rights in vaccination programs as part of the pandemic response plans to become more inclusive. The study recommends strengthening the capacity of organizations of PwD to produce accessible information independently to better protect them in future pandemics.

 

Ethical Perspective on Artificial Womb [Raboan Discussion Forum]

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On Wednesday (18/1), the Center for Medical Bioethics and Humanities held the Raboan Discussion Forum. The topic discussed was the Ethical Perspective on Artificial Womb. The speaker for this discussion was Dr. Theza Elizianno Andrew Pellondo’u, Sp.KF, and it was moderated by Dr. Tiea Khatija.

DNA & RNA are chemical molecules that have the property of self-replication. Cells have the inherent instinct to reproduce themselves through mitosis or meiosis.

Effects of science and technology developments in medicine:

  • Improved accuracy of MRI and CT scans
  • CSISPR
  • 3d printing

The development of science and technology in reproduction:

  • Section Caesarea
  • IVF
  • Sperm/ovum/embryo storage
  • Surrogate mother
  • Baby Incubator
  • Clone
  • Stem Cells

IVF/IVF has helped many couples who have difficulty having children. Artificial uterus is a tool to accommodate the womb outside the uterus so that it can develop normally.

The Ways of Artificial Womb working:

  • The artificial womb is placed in a vessel filled with circulating artificial amniotic fluid.
  • The umbilical cord is connected to a tube to supply oxygen and nutrients while removing carbon dioxide and other metabolic waste.
  • The hose is connected to a blood pump and filtration device.

Limitations of the artificial uterus: Currently, it is only feasible for fetuses with a strong heart capable of pumping blood throughout the body and blood vessels that are large enough to accommodate a catheter.

Advantages of an artificial uterus:

  • Reduce infant mortality caused by premature birth.
  • Reduce abortion rates for maternal indications.
  • Eliminate the practice of surrogate motherhood.
  • Anyone can have biological offspring, for example, women with uterine problems or gay partners.
  • Embryo development can be directly observed.

Disadvantages of Artificial Uterus:

  • Depends on electricity, filters, artificial materials.
  • Limited
  • Expensive

Ethical Aspect :

  • Respect for Autonomy: Embryo transfers must have the patient’s consent and respect the patient’s rights.
  • Justice: Not everyone can access the health procedures/measures they need. Patients are free to determine their rights to have or not have children.
  • Beneficence: Protecting human life and prioritizing patient health.
  • Non-maleficence: It will be fulfilled if it is practiced perfectly. Doctors need to be careful when applying new, untested methods.

Ethical Issue in Assessment [Raboan Discussion Forum]

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Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities held Raboan Discussion Forum on Wednesday (11/01). The weekly discussion forum raised topic Ethical Issue in Assesment. The topic was presented by dr. Yoyo Suhoyo, M.Med.Ed, PhD. and lead by moderator dr. Galuh Dyah Fatmala.

Ethical behavior in assessment requires individuals to act based on their obligation to protect the rights of those affected by the evaluation, treat them with respect, and incorporate principles of fairness. The first principle of assessment is to do no harm, meaning that assessments should accurately reflect mastery of content, be administered fairly, and treated confidentially to avoid score pollution. Score pollution is any practice that artificially improves test performance without increasing actual mastery of content, resulting in scores that do not represent actual student achievement.

Assessment principles include validity, which ensures that the assessment measures what it is intended to measure, reproducibility, which ensures consistency in measurement, equivalence, which ensures that different forms of the assessment measure the same construct, feasibility, which ensures that the assessment can be practically administered, educational effect, which considers the impact of assessment on learning, and catalytic effect, which considers the impact of assessment on instruction. Acceptability, which considers the stakeholders’ perceptions of the assessment, is also a crucial principle.

In summary, ethical behavior in assessment requires individuals to protect the rights of those affected by the evaluation, avoid score pollution, and incorporate principles of fairness. Assessment principles such as validity, reproducibility, equivalence, feasibility, educational effect, catalytic effect, and acceptability ensure that assessments accurately measure what they intend to measure, are administered consistently and fairly, and have a positive impact on learning and instruction.