Michael Welker | Eva Winkler | John Witte, Jr. | Stephen Pickard (Eds.): The Impact of Health Care (Leseprobe)
Pluralism has become the defining characteristic of many modern societies. Not only a plurality of individual and social claims and activities gain impacts on societal life. A creative pluralism of institutions and their norms profoundly shape our moral commitments and character – notably the family, the market, the media, and systems of law, religion, politics, research, education, health care, and defense. In the theoretical, empirical, and historical contributions to this volume, specialists on medicine, medical ethics, psychology, theology and health care discuss the many challenges that major transformations in their areas of expertise pose to the communication and orientation in late modern pluralistic societies. Contributors come from Germany, the USA and Australia.
Pluralism has become the defining characteristic of many modern societies. Not only a plurality of individual and social claims and activities gain impacts on societal life. A creative pluralism of institutions and their norms profoundly shape our moral commitments and character – notably the family, the market, the media, and systems of law, religion, politics, research, education, health care, and defense.
In the theoretical, empirical, and historical contributions to this volume, specialists on medicine, medical ethics, psychology, theology and health care discuss the many challenges that major transformations in their areas of expertise pose to the communication and orientation in late modern pluralistic societies. Contributors come from Germany, the USA and Australia.
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Introduction 17<br />
first presents glioblastoma as avery aggressive brain tumor that affects the patient’s<br />
quality <strong>of</strong> life significantly, while surgery can restore quality <strong>of</strong> life. <strong>The</strong><br />
second scenario describes the course <strong>of</strong> benign tumors, such as craniopharyngiomas,<br />
where surgical resection can lead to worsenedquality <strong>of</strong> life. In the third<br />
case, age-related degenerative changes can affect the spinal elements, leading to<br />
neurogenic claudication or lumbar radiculopathy and adecrease in mobility and<br />
quality <strong>of</strong> life, where there is no clear consensus onthe optimal treatment for<br />
octogenarians, although surgery even in very old and frail patients can be beneficial.<br />
In Part Three, we turn to some ethical aspects connected with the digital<br />
transformation <strong>of</strong> medicine and health care.<br />
<strong>The</strong> seminal contribution by Giovanni Rubeis and Nadia Primc aims to overcome<br />
confusions and worries connected with the “umbrella concept <strong>of</strong> digital<br />
transformation,” which covers automation, mechanization, machinization, robotization,<br />
and data-driven technologies, and is promoted by different academic disciplines<br />
and stakeholders with very different perspectives and interests. How<br />
can a “digital disruption <strong>of</strong> health care” be avoided and a “process <strong>of</strong> incremental<br />
change and (intended) improvement <strong>of</strong> health care” through digital technologies<br />
be envisioned?<br />
<strong>The</strong> chapter identifies three criteria for positive developments:<br />
emphasis on the autonomy <strong>of</strong> patients in the form <strong>of</strong> their participation in<br />
the treatment process, and the critical evaluation <strong>of</strong> factors that hinder empowerment;<br />
differentiating technologies that support autonomy from technologies that<br />
risk the well-being <strong>of</strong>patients;<br />
investigation <strong>of</strong> the introduction <strong>of</strong> nonhuman actors into the clinical encounter<br />
with the question whether they support or minimize “the willingness<br />
<strong>of</strong> patients to trust health pr<strong>of</strong>essionals.”<br />
After pondering open questions <strong>of</strong> “justice and inequalities in digitalized health<br />
care,” the chapter identifies helpful strategies to promote digital transformation:<br />
aparticipatory technological design; transparency <strong>of</strong> “parameters <strong>of</strong> an algorithm-based<br />
system”; and acontinuous improvement <strong>of</strong> “health-care literacy.”<br />
It concludes with acall for “respect <strong>of</strong> the autonomy <strong>of</strong> patients, the promotion<br />
<strong>of</strong> well-being <strong>of</strong>patients, and the prevention <strong>of</strong> inequalities between patients.”<br />
Beate Ditzen and Christian P. Schaaf anticipate yet another important advancement<br />
in medicine—genetic newborn screening. Geneticnewbornscreening<br />
is aprocess that can identify specific diseases in newborns that require early<br />
intervention to improve health or save lives. Predictive genetic testing is also<br />
available for families with ahistory <strong>of</strong>childhood-onset disorders, where preventive<br />
interventions are available.<strong>The</strong> authors report on the factors that are important<br />
for individuals and families during and following genetic testing in general
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