Initial drafting of telemedicine’s code of ethics through a stakeholders’ participatory process

Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine

Rita Mojtahedzadeh¹  Hamid Shafizadeh²  Saharnaz Nedjat³  Bagher Larijani⁴ 

[1] Associate Professor, Department of E-Learning in Medical Education, Center of Excellence for E-Learning in Medical Education, Virtual School, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.;PhD Candidate of Medical Ethics, Department of Medical Ethics, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.;Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.;Professor, Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.;

关键词: Code of ethics;    Telemedicine;    Health services;    Iran;   

DOI  :  10.18502/jmehm.v14i24.8184

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Telemedicine can improve access to healthcare services; however, it has raised ethical concerns demanding special considerations. This study aimed at developing the codes of ethics for telemedicine, and hence several approved national and international ethical guidelines related to telemedicine practice were reviewed, and 48 semi-structured interviews were conducted with medical ethics and medical informatics experts as well as with physicians and patients who had telemedicine experiences. Content analysis was then performed on the interviews’ transcripts and a draft on code of ethics was prepared, which was further reviewed by the experts in the focus group meetings to reach a consensus on the final document. The final document consisted of a preface, five considerations, and 25 ethical statements. Considering the growing trend of adopting telemedicine worldwide, this document provides an ethical framework for those who use telemedicine in their medical practice.

【 授权许可】

Unknown