Ethics in Science and Technology
Year:2007 | Volume:1 | Issue:1 (SUPPL. ISSUE IN MEDICAL ETHICS)|Papers Count:9

During recent decades, new assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) has been improved significantly, but its ethical, social, psychological, religious and legal aspects is blurred and need further researches. The new techniques using donor sperm or egg allow third party involvement in the procreation process that has created new hopes for infertile couples. The corresponding clinical applications raise also new religious questions which require appropriate interpretations to make their use possible particularly in religious communities. In this paper, besides addressing main ethical issues of gamete and embryo donation, we will mention religious opinions of Islamic scholars and will discuss the Act of Embryo Donation to Infertile Spouses which ratified in 2003. Considering this outlook would be inspiring in many Islamic countries.

Definition of medical malpractice and fields of physician's liability leads to cross patient-physician conflicts out.Physicians' liability is ethical or legal and legal liabilities could be entitled as civil and criminal, legally speaking. Ancient civilizations such as Greece, Egypt, Rome, Babel and Iran assumed different approaches toward medical malpractice.Shiea jurisprudents believe that ignorant and wrongdoer physicians are responsible to their intervention but there are two prospects about skillful physician who didn't commit an error and his or her patient involved some complications. Well- known prospect believed that physicians are responsible to their patients and must compensate any complication. But minority of jurisprudents believes that the physician isn't responsible.Well-known prospect suggests obtaining innocence (exemption clause) from patients to omission physician' liability. In emergency cases where risk of damages exists and there is no possibility of taking informed consent, obtaining innocence isn't necessary. More ever, obtaining innocence isn't suitable when physician committed an error.

Introduction: Despite the developments in the transplantation science the obstacle of organ shortage is still a challenging dilemma. Minors as a part of the society which are categorized in the vulnerable groups are always susceptible to unjust approaches in the society. Therefore the use of minors as organ donors necessitates special considerations.Materials and Methods: This is a review of literature which the materials are collected via a systematic search in Google and yahoo search engines and also a search in Ovid, Pub med and Iran medex data bases with specified key words and with the aim of replying to defined questions.Results: none of the scholars in the medical ethics agree with the concept of minors as organ donors. The organ donation by the minors is only allowed in special situations such as when no other donor is available and of course the children's competency for informed consent should be proven.Discussion: Although organ donation from minors is allowed in occasional cases, there are still concerns about misusing children for this purpose.

Introduction: Informed consent is one of the key questions in the field of medical ethics. There have been many studies observing the informed consent and its relation with age. In this paper we studied informed consent in pediatric medicine from an Islamic point of view.Materials and methods: This paper is based on a systematic review of databases, Google search engine, and library of medical ethics and history of medicine research center with specified keywords and included in professional guidelines and ethical codes, conference proceedings, Iranian research ethics codes. Experts on pediatric medicine, Islamic figh and medical ethics are also consulted.Results: Over the past three decades many authors have studied and written considerably about ability of minors in offering mature opinions to their physician about critical health care decisions affecting their own lives. In recent years, there have been many statues in which the rights of the minor to treatment on their consent have been specified. Islamic jurisprudents also have declared their point of view about this issue clearly.Conclusion: A re-analysis of informed consent in pediatric medicine leads to identify that in addition to parental permission and obtaining informed consent, patient assent is also needed. In many circumstances, physician should also solicit a patient assent when developmentally appropriate. In cases involving emancipated or mature minors with adequate decision-making capacity, or when otherwise permitted by law, physicians should seek informed consent directly from patients.

Introduction: In the most of medical researches it's needed to use animals as experimental groups. So, it's essential to provide them safe and natural environment.Objective: The purpose of this qualitative study is the determination of considering standard ethical issues from the viewpoint of providing and caring animals, stuffs knowledge, care methods, investigator's knowledge and project performance.Methods: Data collection procedure was done by researcher with observing 12 research projects in research center and biology department from 3 aspects: researchers evaluation, animal care and use methods, personnel evaluation These data were abstracted and details were provided. Then containing analysis was done.Finding: In the researcher evaluation, knowing animal environment conditions in laboratory and it's effectiveness on the research results, the researcher's knowledge about natural animal environment, stress and pain control methods, knowing animal bodies burial methods were undesirable. Animal care personnel were not professionally trained. Building of animal care place, animal cages and number of animal in those were any standard in one of centers, but there was not an isolated place for newly entrance animals in all of animal care centers.Conclusion: Animal research has been increased in Iran. In order to, the ethical and standard issues in relation to laboratory animals to be better and getting more careful research results, several efforts are necessary: recovery of ancient animal care places (moisture, ventilation, light, ...), training of animal care personnel, providing new standard animal care places, training of researchers, establishment of training centers, issuing license for researchers and establishment of control centers.

In the practice of medicine, truth telling involves the provision of information not simply to enable patients to make informed choices about health care and other aspects of their lives but also to inform them about their situation. Patients may have an interest in medical information regardless of whether that information is required to make a decision about medical treatment.Material and methods: To assess the physician attitude about truth telling a questionnaire was given to general practitioners and specialists in medical conferences and after completion the questionnaire returned and analyzed.Results: 400 physicians completed the questionnaire 35% of them believed that patients have rights to know about their illness and it's prognosis and treatment, on the other hand 6% believed that it is not any right for patients to know about their illness and 59% believed that telling the truth must be under the specific situations. Emotional stability and socioeconomic situations were the most effective factors for decision for truth telling. In response to a question about "How much information must tell to patients?" 44% of physicians told that "the physician must decide about this by self concept" 65% of physicians told that a doctor can tell the patient's information to the family without patient permission 78% of physicians believed that telling the truth may simplified diagnosis and treatment processes and 70% believed that truth telling can decreases legal complains.Conclusion: Due to this research most of the Iranian physician wants to tell the truth to their patient but they believe that make decision about this mostly is under supervision of physician Opinion.

The aim of this research is the answer to the question whether psychological contents are available in Quran.If the answer of this question is positive, the next step consists in seeking these contents, their grouping and in finding out her relations. The applied method of research is the contents analysis.The results show clearly that more than half of the contents words of the Quran psychological topics contain. These words can be grouped in four psychological areas: General psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology and personality psychology. The other result of this research is finding out the similarity and differences between these contents and the dominant paradigms in psychology. Also the similarity and differences between the ideas about human action control in the Quran and dominant action control theories.

Introduction: The contribution of causes is an important subject in the appearance of damages which each of the legal system have exhibited a dig gerent view point. The consideration of this subject is very important in medical rights, because this case in connected whit patient's life and this case are important in selection of view point.Purpose: The aim of this article is to opening a way for new approaches in medical law by review agile investigating subject of collection of kits.Method: we use library method at presentation of subjects, until we can propound subjects by searching in source and connected books.Founds and conclusion: It has two approaches at investigating contribution of causes at medicine: we can follow traditional methods and accept approach of equivalence of causes or we will open a way toward newer and moral view point by criticism of traditional approach and judicial precedent will lead toward it and criticism of traditional approach and Following of new and moral approach help to perform justice.

Introduction: Issues of bioethics dates back to history of medicine and other bio-activities of mankind, but since 1960s and following the development of novel bio-medical technologies, bioethics has been appeared as an academic field and profession.Goal: In spite of increasing biomedical ethics activities, yet there is not clear definition of biomedical ethics as a discipline and profession. There are many questions on this new born discipline and profession concerning its required education and skills, its functions and duties, the authorities to issue certifications and the mechanism of evaluation and supervision of biomedical activities. This article is an attempt to answer some of these questions.Method: The method of this survey is library and internet based. Sources were recognized by searching the library of Medical ethics and History of Medicine Research Center, Avoid e-database and google search engine. The search keywords included: bioethics, medical ethics, biomedical ethics, bioethicist.Findings: The result of search in e-sources shows that biomedical ethics though is young grows up increasingly and has a rich literature. For example the search of bioethics in google search engine shows more than 4,000,000 links and 269,000 links as the result of searching "bioethicict" shows that bioethics profession has already born. Since the ends of 20th century specialists and organizations in biomedical ethics has appeared in developed countries. Nowadays many bioethics are employed in academic centers, government, health centers and industry. The same event is occurs in developing countries including Iran.Conclusion: Biomedical ethics has a great developing in recent decades and it has been established as a discipline and profession. Bioethics in these countries work in one of these four fields: education, research, consulting and supervision. In developing countries such as Iran, there are serious activities for generating biomedical ethics system and organizations. And it seems that local biomedical ethics discipline and profession is formulating in these societies.