As artificial intelligence technology rapidly advances, its deployment within the medical sector presents substantial ethical challenges. Consequently, it becomes crucial to create a standardized, transparent, and secure framework for processing medical data. This includes setting the ethical boundaries for medical artificial intelligence and safeguarding both patient rights and data integrity. This consensus governs every facet of medical data handling through artificial intelligence, encompassing data gathering, processing, storage, transmission, utilization, and sharing. Its purpose is to ensure the management of medical data adheres to ethical standards and legal requirements, while safeguarding patient privacy and data security. Concurrently, the principles of compliance with the law, patient privacy respect, patient interest protection, and safety and reliability are underscored. Key issues such as informed consent, data usage, intellectual property protection, conflict of interest, and benefit sharing are examined in depth. The enactment of this expert consensus is intended to foster the profound integration and sustainable advancement of artificial intelligence within the medical domain, while simultaneously ensuring that artificial intelligence adheres strictly to the relevant ethical norms and legal frameworks during the processing of medical data.
Artificial Intelligence/legislation & jurisprudence* ; Humans ; Consensus ; Computer Security/standards* ; Confidentiality/ethics* ; Informed Consent/ethics*

PURPOSE: This study compares experiences of ethical dilemma between nurses working in intensive care units and those in general units under specific situations of treatment decisions and confidentiality.METHOD: This cross-sectional descriptive study utilizes the self-report survey method. The survey questionnaires were completed by 50 and 52 nurses working in intensive care units and general units, respectively. The instrument, which consisted of 16 items of ethical dilemma situations about treatment decision and confidentiality, was used. The mean scores for each item were compared between the two groups.RESULTS: The study found no differences in terms of age, gender, education level, clinical experience in years, and being educated on healthcare ethics. For 9 out of 16 items, the mean scores of nurses in intensive care units were significantly higher than those of nurses in general units.CONCLUSION: Nurses in intensive care units experienced ethical dilemmas regarding treatment decisions and confidentiality more often than those in general units. This study emphasizes the need to establish strategies for improving the ethical competence of critical care nurses.
Confidentiality ; Critical Care ; Delivery of Health Care ; Education ; Ethics ; Intensive Care Units ; Mental Competency ; Methods ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to elucidate clinical nurses' ethics germane to information literacy and perception of patient data privacy and thus help nurses to develop more positive and consolidated ethical values. METHODS: For this study a descriptive survey design was used. Participants were 142 nurses who worked in a hospital and completed self-report questionnaires. Data were collected from August 1 to 5, 2016 and were analyzed using independent t-test, ANOVA, Scheffé test, Pearson correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression with SPSS 22.0. RESULTS: Ethical value had a positive correlation with information needs (r=.25, p=.002) in information literacy as well as in direct patient care (r=.27, p=.001), shift work (r=.20, p=.016), patient information management (r=.39, p<.001), and communication (r=.24, p=.004) in perception of patient data privacy. Patient information management, educational background, and age were significant variables predicting the level of ethical values and accounted for 21% of the variance. CONCLUSION: Ethical values education with particular emphasize on managing patient information should be encouraged for nurses who are younger and have a lower education level. Findings indicate a need for education programs to guide clinical nurses to utilize appropriate information when solving ethical challenges in every day nursing practice.
Confidentiality* ; Education ; Ethics ; Humans ; Information Literacy* ; Information Management ; Nursing ; Patient Care

BACKGROUND: Occupational physicians (OPs) have complex relationships with employees, employers, and the general public. OPs may have simultaneous obligations towards third parties, which can lead to variable conflicts of interests. Among the various studies of ethical issues related to OPs, few have focused on the Korean OPs. The aim of the present survey was to investigate the ethical contexts, the practical resolutions, and the ethical principles for the Korean OPs. METHODS: An email with a self-administered questionnaire was sent to members of the Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, comprising 150 specialists and 130 residents. The questionnaire was also distributed to 52 specialists and 46 residents who attended the annual meeting of the Korean Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics in October 2015, and to 240 specialists by uploading the questionnaire to the online community ‘oem-doctors’ in February 2016. The responses to each question (perception of general ethical conflicts, recognition of various ethical codes for OPs, core professional values in ethics of occupational medicine, and a mock case study) were compared between specialists and residents by the chi-squared test and Fisher’s exact test. RESULTS: Responses were received from 80 specialists and 71 residents. Most participants had experienced ethical conflicts at work and felt the need for systematic education and training. OPs suffered the most ethical conflicts in decisions regarding occupational health examination and evaluation for work relatedness. Over 60% of total participants were unaware of the ethical codes of other countries. Participants thought ‘consideration of worker’s health and safety’ (26.0%) and ‘neutrality’ (24.7%) as the prominent ethical values in professionality ofoccupational medicine. In mock cases, participants chose beneficence and justice for fitness for work and confidential information acquired while on duty, and beneficence and respect for autonomy in pre-placement examinations. CONCLUSIONS: This study evaluated the current perception of and attitude toward ethical issues among the Korean OPs. These findings will facilitate the development of a code of ethics and the ethical decision-making program forthe Korean OPs. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40557-017-0182-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Beneficence ; Codes of Ethics ; Confidentiality ; Education ; Electronic Mail ; Environmental Medicine ; Ethics* ; Occupational Health ; Occupational Medicine ; Social Justice ; Specialization

PURPOSE: This study aims to identify perception, performance, and the related factors of performance in regards to patients' medical information protection among allied health college students. METHODS: Four hundred twelve subjects from three colleges located in Jeonbuk and Kyungbuk province consented to participate. Data was collected from November 28 to December 15, 2012. To assess perception and performance in regards to patients' medical information protection, a self-reporting questionnaire was used. Data was analyzed via SPSS 18.0 program. RESULTS: The score of perception and performance about patients' medical information protection were 4.07 and 3.56, respectively. All item's scores of performance were significantly lower than those of perception. The perception score was significantly different according to recognition of hospital ethics code (t=1.95, p=.052), and recognition of association ethics code (t=2.88, p=.004). The performance score was significantly different according to gender (t=-3.32, p=001), major (F=14.41, p<.001), clinical practicum hospitals (F=8.22, p<.001), and method of electronic medical record access (F=3.23, p=.023). The factors influencing performance were perception(beta=.46, p<.001), duration of clinical practice(beta=-.36, p<.001), and gender(beta=.09, p=.033). CONCLUSION: In order to improve performance in regards to patients' medical information protection of allied health college students, we should develop ethical education programs and standardize them through multidisciplinary collaboration.
Codes of Ethics ; Computer Security* ; Confidentiality ; Cooperative Behavior ; Education ; Electronic Health Records ; Ethics, Institutional ; Humans ; Jeollabuk-do ; Medical Records ; Students, Public Health

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe the development of a code of professional conduct that should be practiced by medical students and residents. METHODS: The content of a draft version of a code of professional conduct was generated through extensive literature reviews and the results of surveys that were administered to students and residents. The content validity for the draft version was reviewed by an expert panel: five experts in medical ethics and eight specialists in medical education. The survey was distributed as an email questionnaire and included closed-ended items and open comments. SPSS for Windows version 12.0 (SPSS Inc.) was used for the analysis. RESULTS: After analyzing the experts' reviews and holding a reiterative discussion, we developed the final version of a code of conduct for professional behavior. It consists of nine categories and 44 items for students and 44 items for residents. The nine categories were academic integrity, responsibility during clerkship or hospital work, endeavor to improve clinical competency, respect for patients and keeping confidentiality, honesty in patient care, boundary issues and conflicts of interests, impaired physician behaviors, respect for others, and research ethics. CONCLUSION: Because our code of conduct for professional behaviors cannot extensively include all aspects of medical professionalism, we focused on behaviors that can be used to monitor and prevent misconduct by medical learners. Further studies and discourse among stakeholders should be performed to develop a national consensus statement or code of conduct to reinforce professionalism for learners in medicine.
Confidentiality ; Consensus ; Education, Medical ; Electronic Mail ; Ethics, Medical ; Ethics, Research ; Humans ; Patient Care ; Specialization ; Students, Medical* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Confidentiality ; Electronic Mail ; Ethics, Medical ; Humans ; Internet ; Patient Education as Topic ; Physician-Patient Relations ; Professional Role ; Social Support

During the last decade, genomic cohort study has been developed in many countries by linking health data and genetic data in stored samples. Genomic cohort study is expected to find key genetic components that contribute to common diseases, thereby promising great advance in genome medicine. While many countries endeavor to build biobank systems, biobank-based genome research has raised important ethical concerns including genetic privacy, confidentiality, discrimination, and informed consent. Informed consent for biobank poses an important question: whether true informed consent is possible in populationbased genomic cohort research where the nature of future studies is unforeseeable when consent is obtained. Due to the sensitive character of genetic information, protecting privacy and keeping confidentiality become important topics. To minimize ethical problems and achieve scientific goals to its maximum degree, each country strives to build population-based genomic cohort research project, by organizing public consultation, trying public and expert consensus in research, and providing safeguards to protect privacy and confidentiality.
Korea ; Humans ; Genomics/*ethics ; *Ethics, Research ; Confidentiality ; *Cohort Studies

Experimental studies involve intervention and manipulation of study elements such as randomization of the participating groups. In general, experimental studies involving human are riskier than observational studies, demanding robust ethical vigilance and compliance among such stakeholders as investigators, sponsors, IRBs and health authorities. Social values of research should be counted as a primary ethical consideration in experimental research. It is unethical to put human subjects into uncertain and risky conditions if the study does not pursue valuable knowledge. Sound scientific design is prerequisite for good ethics. Risk-benefit ratio of the study must be carefully evaluated study. Not only risks from physical harms but also socio-economical and psychological harms from the study should be considered as risk of the study. Risks from the design of the study such as randomization and placebo must be carefully examined. Voluntary informed consent is essential in experimental studies involving human. Human subjects, before they decide to participate in the study, must be informed the followings: risks, benefits, experimental procedures, alternative treatment, compensation for injury, and participants' voluntariness and right to withdraw at anytime. Experimental studies are usually required written consent documentation and full institutional review board (IRB) review. Other elements of experimental research ethics includes special protection for high risk groups and various vulnerable groups, and protection of privacy and confidentiality.
Bioethics* ; Compensation and Redress ; Compliance ; Confidentiality ; Consent Forms ; Ethics ; Ethics Committees, Research ; Ethics, Research ; Humans ; Informed Consent ; Privacy ; Random Allocation ; Research Personnel ; Social Values

Pathology specimen has been collected for purposes of education and research, particularly with respect to basic, developmental and translational studies in many areas of cancer research including molecular biology, immunology, and genetics. Even though no policy or ethical guideline drafted to regulate research tissue bank in Korea, advanced countries has been concerned ethical issues in the collections, storages, specimen transports and informatics for pathology specimen bank. Informed consent and confidentiality for protection of personal data records, which can be directly or indirectly associated with linked data from the donors' point of view, are the key to banking all over the world. The institutional review board (IRB) is important to ensure the scientific and ethical quality of pathologic specimen research. Increasing molecular genetic testing is also resulting in an increased demand of quality control for high quality nucleic acids. Most recently, the use of stored human tissue for education and research has become an object of increased ethical concern in Korea. Korean Association of Pathologists (KAP) has in urgent need of the policies and a standardized operating procedure, regulating a good collection practice of pathology specimen bank.
Allergy and Immunology ; Confidentiality ; Education ; Ethics ; Ethics Committees, Research ; Genetics ; Humans ; Informatics ; Informed Consent ; Korea ; Molecular Biology ; Nucleic Acids ; Pathology* ; Quality Control ; Tissue Banks