New Working Party on personalised healthcare
Thu, 16 October 2008
The Council has launched a Working Party on the ethical issues raised by new technologies that are making healthcare increasingly personalised.
Recent technological developments, political and economic priorities and the drive towards patient-centred care have accelerated the pace of personalisation of healthcare services. Such technologies include whole body CT or MRI scans, ‘personal genomics’ where the genome of individual patients is sequenced, and ‘telemedicine’ – the delivery of healthcare services over a distance.
The increasing use of these technologies raises a number of ethical issues. For example, how useful is the information provided by personal genomics services to the individual? Will it affect their lifestyles, and how might it affect their insurance policies? Might it increase the burden on the NHS as people seek follow-up?
The Working Party includes members with expertise in medicine, science, law, philosophy and sociology. The group will hold evidence gathering sessions and a public consultation in spring 2009 to draw together wider views on the issues raised. A report with recommendations for policy and practice will be published in early 2010.
Last Updated Thu, 16 October 2008