2021, Vol.24, No.1

Korean Journal of Medical Ethics 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 1.21

pISSN : 2005-8284 / eISSN : 2234-3598
https://journal.kci.go.kr/medethics

This article examines disaster-related research ethics in terms of its values, principles, systems of review, and methodologies. The article also reviews some of the major ethical issues in, and current status of, research ethics related to COVID-19 in Korea. Principles to be considered in disaster-related research include scientific validity, social value, risk-to-benefit ratio, time-sensitive reviews, and informed consent. It is necessary to develop guidelines for disaster-related research ethics that facilitate complete, yet time-sensitive ethical reviews. The potential benefits, scientific validity, and social value of research plans should be harmonized, and the participation of research subjects should be based on scientific evidence. A comprehensive review and plan for national-level research and research ethics governance appropriate to disasters is needed in Korea.

It is widely thought that digital health technology will promote more informed decision-making and thereby improve patients’ health. Additionally, this technology is expected to enhance the quality, accessibility, and efficiency of the public healthcare system and strengthen national industrial competitiveness. However, the widespread use of digital health technology may also have certain negative effects on medical practice and raise ethical concerns. This article illuminates some of the hidden problems and concerns with this technology. First, in distinguishing between normal and abnormal conditions, this technology may end up judging and excessively controlling the characteristics and lifestyles of individuals. Second, the collection and use of big data, upon which digital health technology is based, threatens individual privacy and autonomy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, digital health technology has been used to monitor the quarantine compliance of infected individuals, trace contacts, model the spread of the virus, and provide telemedicine to COVID-19 patients. However, this ability to identify, monitor, and trace individuals has led to invasions of privacy and social discrimination.

This paper examines the concept of “One Health,” which was established in 2000 by international organizations to prevent the global spread of infectious diseases due to disruptions in the human-animal-environment interface. Although One Health regards the health of humans, animals, and the environment as inextricably linked, there are in fact many causal factors that contribute to the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19. This article identifies one causal factor with the “closure” by system differentiation of modern society. All sectors of society have become specialized, and perform their unique functions with exclusivity. As all sectors have their own expertise, irreplaceability has been normalized, and multidisciplinary and multi-organizational cooperation has become difficult. One Health is possible only if it transcends this system closure. However, despite national and international efforts, cooperation remains difficult to achieve because of the closed systems of communication within these different government agencies and sectors of the economy. What is needed is recognition of the fact that the human-animal-environment interface is a single unit and, therefore, that individual organizations, government agencies, or even fields of research cannot solve these complex problems on their own.