Digital Ethics in Healthcare
Dr Mhairi Aitken
Mhairi Aitken is an Ethics Fellow in the Public Policy Programme at The Alan Turing Institute. She is a Sociologist whose research examines social and ethical dimensions of digital innovation particularly relating to uses of data and AI. Mhairi has a particular interest in the role of public engagement in informing ethical data practices. Her past research has focussed in particular on the role of machine learning in finance; governance of data-intensive health research; ethical considerations around secondary uses of health data and; planning and development processes relating to renewable energy projects. Prior to joining the Turing Institute, Mhairi was a Senior Research Associate at Newcastle University. Between 2009 and 2018 Mhairi was a Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh where she undertook a programme of research and public engagement to explore social and ethical dimensions of data-intensive health research. She held roles as a Public Engagement Research Fellow in both the Farr Institute of Health Informatics Research and the Scottish Health Informatics Programme (SHIP).
This course explores ethical considerations relating to digital innovation in healthcare and health systems. It will consider how broader debates around digital ethics (e.g. relating to artificial intelligence and data collection and reuse) apply in health contexts.
It will focus on the uses of data in healthcare and health systems and ethical considerations relating to data collection, storage and use/reuse. This includes use of data in developing and utilising new technologies including Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The course also consider broader issues around digital ethics to focus on practical examples and actual clinical applications. The learners will examine current governance mechanisms in place to address digital ethics and a range of approaches that can be employed (including the role of Patient and Public Involvement in the use/reuse of health data).
The course covers:
- Background: why digital ethics?
- Examples of ethical dilemmas in digital innovation particularly in health contexts
- Consideration of practical examples in relation to clinical applications
- Current governance mechanisms and approaches: including regulation, policy, the role of Caldicott Guardian, and Patient and Public Involvement (PPI)
New dates for this programme will be announced in Mid 2023
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