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Ethics is integral to health care since the process of helping people is closely related to moral issues. However, there is controversy as to whether the components of ethics and their analysis should be included in all areas of medicine. In particular, the combination of these elements in the health technologies analysis is questioned, leading to many approach inconsistencies. This critical review aims to analyze and evaluate an article by Bjørn Hofmann focused on this topic.
According to the title of this work, it is devoted to the issue of including ethics as part of health technology assessment (HTA). Hofmann (2008) emphasizes that the debate on this issue has been ongoing. Although various ethical approaches are periodically used in the HTA, there is still no consensus on their coverage (Hoffman, 2008). In this regard, the author investigates why such inquiries should be included in the technology assessment. Thus, Hoffman (2008) does not formulate a thesis but develops a question, which he then tries to answer by analyzing a series of the most relevant arguments. The paper presents their assessment as a series of sequentially examined paragraphs. In his research, the author investigates both stronger and relatively weak arguments.
Consequently, he does not agree with all the examples given. Hofmann (2008) reinforces the idea that including ethics in the HTA will make the process more efficient. Simultaneously, he is against abandoning the consideration of technology as a value-neutral instrument (Hoffman, 2008). Such differences in argumentation are because the number of arguments on this topic is small. However, analyzing diverse approaches allows the author to conclude that the answer largely depends on HTA and ethics definitions (Hoffman, 2008). After examining different perspectives, he deduces that the main reason for the connection between ethics and HTA is the coincidence of their core values and principles. Since technology evaluation cannot be done without engaging with moral issues, ethics already exists within this methodology. Therefore, instead of integration, attempts should be made to emphasize and address them.
Analyzing this work, it is necessary to note the relevance of this topic. As the study by Bellemare et al. (2018), the thesis put forward by the author in 2008 remained relevant even after ten years. Therefore, the central question put forward by the author is relevant. It should be noted that this point is not expressed clearly enough in the paper and is not formulated as a thesis. Nevertheless, this does not prevent Hoffman (2008) from maintaining a coherent structure and exploring all the arguments. The theoretical answers put forward by the author consider the research question from different angles, thereby establishing effective communication.
In addition, they highlight the most pressing issues in the interaction between ethics and HTA, such as the patient perspective. Other studies, such as Vanstone et al.’s. work (2019), supports the presence of such barriers. Finally, the author’s conclusion about the need for clear definitions and the establishment of consensus is logical, as it is based on many-sided arguments, none of which entirely solves the problem. More modern studies can confirm the reliability of this fact. Ekmekci and Güner (2019) demonstrate that many ethical questions remain even with the standardization of HTA reports. On the other hand, putting forward a new definition of HTA that includes ethical components may significantly change this process in the future (O’Rourke et al., 2020). Consequently, the work of Hoffman (2008) effectively answers the question posed and has a reasonably strong argumentation and communication with the thesis. Thus, this article can be assessed as a high-quality paper that adequately reflects the problems existing in the healthcare sector.
References
Bellemare, C.A., Dagenais, P., Suzanne, K., Béland, J.P., Bernier, L., Daniel, C.É., Gagnon, H., Legault, G.A., Parent, M., & Patenaude, J. (2018). Ethics in health technology assessment: A systematic review.International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, 34(5), 447-457. Web.
Ekmekci, P. E., & Güner, M. D. (2019). Evaluation of ethical analyses in seven reports from the European network for health technology Assessment.International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, 35(4), 273-279. Web.
Hofmann, B. M. (2008). Why ethics should be part of health technology assessment. International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, 24(4), 423-429. Web.
O’Rourke, B., Oortwijn, W., & Schuller, T. (2020). The new definition of health technology assessment: A milestone in international collaboration. International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, 36(3), 187-190. Web.
Vanstone, M., Abelson, J., Bidonde, J., Bond, K., Burgess, R., Canfield, C., Schwartz, L., & Tripp, L. (2019). Ethical challenges related to patient involvement in health technology assessment.International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, 35(4), 253-256. Web.
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