Research Article
Ethical Considerations in Pervasive Health Research
@INPROCEEDINGS{10.4108/eai.16-5-2016.2263813, author={Haley MacLeod and Maia Jacobs and Katie Siek and Kay Connelly and Elizabeth Mynatt}, title={Ethical Considerations in Pervasive Health Research}, proceedings={Future of Pervasive Health Workshop}, publisher={ACM}, proceedings_a={FUTURE OF PERVASIVE HEALTH WORKSHOP}, year={2016}, month={6}, keywords={pervasive health; ethics; breast cancer; rare diseases; patient advocates; community based research; privacy; patient empowerment; research methods; personalization}, doi={10.4108/eai.16-5-2016.2263813} }
- Haley MacLeod
Maia Jacobs
Katie Siek
Kay Connelly
Elizabeth Mynatt
Year: 2016
Ethical Considerations in Pervasive Health Research
FUTURE OF PERVASIVE HEALTH WORKSHOP
EAI
DOI: 10.4108/eai.16-5-2016.2263813
Abstract
The field of pervasive health has matured over the last few decades and the community has begun to converge on commonly accepted practices. In this work, we argue for a need to consider the ethical implications of the choices we make as researchers, particularly when working with vulnerable or sensitive populations. We outline a number of considerations that should be given more attention moving forward. We discuss these considerations as they have emerged from our work with people with rare diseases and with newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, both sensitive communities requiring a careful attention to ethics. We organize these ethical considerations around two main themes: the importance of involving participants in the research process and the need for flexible approaches to both research methods and the design of tools. We provide recommendations for researchers towards a successful, ethical future of pervasive health research.