Response culture 7 | Nursing homework help
The ethical issues in this situation are that a person’s medical data is being used without their permission or knowledge. This unauthorised use of private information could be viewed as a breach of trust and personal dignity, and could have significant implications on the individual’s right to privacy. The use of an individual’s medical data in this manner can also potentially cause harm if the results are inaccurate or misinterpreted.
To analyse these ethical issues I would use a framework such as utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is based around maximising happiness for the greatest number of people involved in any given situation, weighing up both the benefits and consequences for each party involved. In this case, it would be necessary to weigh up whether using the patient’s data without their permission provides greater benefit than harm – considering factors such as how accurate and reliable the results may be, what risks there might be to patient privacy should they not consent, and potential benefits that such research methods might provide society at large.