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Ethics Review Answers

GCPG must adhere to HIPAA and FDA regulations to protect patient privacy and ensure the safety of medical software. Key ethical principles include non-maleficence, autonomy, justice, and transparency, which guide the responsible use of AI in healthcare. Ethical frameworks such as Principlism and Virtue Ethics can help navigate dilemmas while balancing innovation and patient care.

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7 views4 pages

Ethics Review Answers

GCPG must adhere to HIPAA and FDA regulations to protect patient privacy and ensure the safety of medical software. Key ethical principles include non-maleficence, autonomy, justice, and transparency, which guide the responsible use of AI in healthcare. Ethical frameworks such as Principlism and Virtue Ethics can help navigate dilemmas while balancing innovation and patient care.

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minhvu2908b
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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1.

Relevant Laws and Regulations

GCPG must comply with the Health Insurance Portability and


Accountability Act (HIPAA), which governs the use and disclosure of
Protected Health Information (PHI). Since Dr. Tanis accesses and processes
sensitive patient records and medical histories, HIPAA is directly applicable.
The goal of HIPAA is to protect patient privacy, ensure data security, and
promote patient trust in healthcare systems. Dr. Tanis must also comply with
FDA regulations regarding software as a medical device (SaMD), as it
prescribes treatments. These rules aim to safeguard public health by
ensuring digital tools are safe and effective.

2. Security Standards and Best Practices

NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) Cybersecurity


Framework is a key standard GCPG should follow, along with ISO/IEC
27001 for managing information security. These frameworks offer guidelines
for encryption, access controls, and regular audits to secure data in transit
and at rest. They are applicable because Dr. Tanis processes sensitive health
information online. Secure authentication, encryption (e.g., TLS/SSL), and
endpoint protection are critical to preventing data breaches and maintaining
public trust in the AI system.

3. Reconciling Data Access and Privacy

There is a tension between minimizing data usage to protect privacy and


needing robust data for accurate diagnosis. This can be reconciled through
data minimization and anonymization, where only relevant medical data
is retained, and identifiers are stripped. Implementing differential privacy
and obtaining informed consent can also help. Patients should be made
aware of what data is used and why, allowing them to choose the level of
data sharing, which respects autonomy while supporting the AI's function.

4. Scope and Human Oversight

Dr. Tanis should not operate independently for all medical concerns. Serious
or chronic conditions (e.g., cancer, diabetes complications) require human
oversight due to complexity, nuance, and potential liability. A hybrid
approach—AI providing initial diagnosis with mandatory human review for
high-risk issues—aligns with ethical principles like non-maleficence (do no
harm) and beneficence (acting in the patient’s best interest). AI should
augment, not replace, medical professionals.

5. Prescribing Addictive Medications

Allowing Dr. Tanis to prescribe commonly abused drugs without safeguards is


ethically irresponsible. AI cannot assess deception or context the way human
doctors can. Instead, it should flag such cases for manual review,
maintaining accountability and reducing the risk of harm. Enabling self-
destructive behavior violates non-maleficence. Ethical design should
include thresholds and filters for addictive medications, with oversight
mechanisms.

6. Antibiotic Overprescription

Prescribing antibiotics that benefit individuals but contribute to global


resistance is ethically problematic. This pits individual benefit against
societal harm, creating a dilemma between utilitarian and public health
values. A solution could involve limiting repeat prescriptions, enforcing
guidelines for bacterial confirmation, and educating users about antibiotic
resistance. Balancing short-term relief with long-term consequences requires
strict protocols and monitoring of prescription patterns.

7. Emergency Situations and False Alarms

Dr. Tanis should have a protocol to alert emergency personnel if symptoms


suggest imminent danger. While false alarms are a concern, erring on the
side of caution aligns with ethical duties to preserve life. This is justified
under the precautionary principle and the duty of care. Consent should
be obtained ahead of time, and alerts should be context-aware and tiered.
Ultimately, saving lives outweighs the inconvenience of false alarms.

8. Bias vs. Performance

Operating a biased system, even one with strong diagnostic performance, is


ethically risky. It may lead to disparate outcomes for marginalized groups
and violate justice and fairness. While performance matters, systematic
bias undermines trust and equity. Until biases can be minimized, GCPG
should limit deployment, increase transparency, and implement bias
audits. Ethical use of AI requires striving for equal treatment, even if that
means accepting slightly reduced efficiency.

9. Explainability vs. Performance

Explainability matters because patients and doctors must understand why a


diagnosis was made. This builds trust, allows for accountability, and supports
patient autonomy. However, high-performing models often function as “black
boxes.” A middle-ground approach—like using post-hoc interpretability
tools (e.g., LIME or SHAP)—can offer insights without fully sacrificing
accuracy. Clear documentation, simplified summaries, and feedback
mechanisms can further bridge this gap.

10. Most Relevant Ethical Principles

Key ethical principles for GCPG include:

 Non-maleficence – avoiding harm from incorrect diagnoses or misuse


of medication.

 Autonomy – ensuring informed consent and the right to decline AI-


driven care.

 Justice – preventing discriminatory practices or unequal access to


care.

 Transparency – making AI’s decision-making understandable and


accountable.

These principles protect patients' rights and ensure the AI serves the public
responsibly.

11. Ethical Frameworks to Address Dilemmas

Useful ethical frameworks include:

 Principlism (Beauchamp & Childress): Applying core bioethical


principles to guide decisions.
 Virtue Ethics: Encouraging developers to design with compassion and
fairness.

 Deontological Ethics: Ensuring duties (e.g., protect privacy) are


upheld regardless of outcome.

 Utilitarianism: Weighing benefits and harms, particularly in cost-


benefit tradeoffs like antibiotic use.

These frameworks help GCPG balance innovation with responsibility, aligning


AI practices with ethical healthcare delivery.

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