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Ethical issues arising from a research, technology and development project to support frail older people and their family carers at home
- Authors:
- MAGNUSSON Lennart, HANSON Elizabeth Jane
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Care in the Community, 11(5), September 2003, pp.431-439.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Provides an overview of the application of key ethical issues which arose in an EU-funded research, technology and development project, Assisting Carers using Telematics Interventions to meet Older Persons' Needs (ACTION), whose primary aim was to support frail older people and family carers in their own homes across England, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Sweden and Portugal via the use of user-friendly information and communication technology. Ethical guidelines were developed and used as a tool to enable the multidisciplinary project team to increase their awareness of ethical issues in their everyday work and act as a useful ethical framework for regular team discussions at international and local meetings across the partner countries. A range of ethical issues arose during the field-study phases when the ACTION services were introduced into a number of families' own homes. It can be argued that these reflect factors relating both to the application of research into practice as well as those relating more directly to the use of new technology by families and care professionals. Key issues centre on ethical concepts of autonomy, independence, quality of life, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice, and more specifically on issues of security, privacy and confidentiality, increased expectations, and service withdrawal. This paper is intended to facilitate dialogue and debate in the area of enabling (assistive) technology in home care for older people and their families.