The Ethics Blog

Academic work is conducted in many ways and has many functions and values. Researchers in law and astrophysics, in philosophy and oceanography, work every day with completely different tasks and methods, and the value of their contributions can hardly be compared. At the same time, academic diversity is challenged by another diversity: the many needs […] The post Challenges to academic diversity …

An intensive care unit is a place where life is maintained with the help of advanced medical equipment. But it is also a place where life sometimes ends. In cases where it becomes clear that life-sustaining care is no longer meaningful, but should be changed into end-of-life care, the healthcare staff has a particularly great […] The post Losing a family member in an intensive care unit appeared …

Global health discussions have, in recent years, made a point of involving young people. Conferences feature youth panels, international organisations hold youth consultations, and most major health strategies now list youth engagement as a priority. All in all, it seems only fair, given that the challenges being debated today (for instance, pandemic preparedness and management, […] The post When…

The fourth most common form of cancer in Sweden is colorectal cancer. The disease can be linked to both heredity and environmental factors, and to individual lifestyle factors such as tobacco smoking, obesity, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity and eating habits (high intake of red and processed meat; low intake of fruit, vegetables, fibers and calcium). […] The post Public perceptions of r…

Fear can easily play tricks on us thinking beings. When we are afraid of something, we often think that we should worry about it – so as not to lose control of it. So, to be on the safe side, we lie awake half the night thinking. We dare not let go of our thoughts, […] The post Do you dare to be fearless? appeared first on The Ethics Blog .

Research involving humans requires ethical review. Ethical review is important to protect the rights and interests of research participants, and to maintain public trust in research. Ethical review was originally developed for biomedical research where it is common to recruit patients as test subjects, for example in clinical drug trials. In Sweden, a central authority […] The post How is ethical…

“Consciousness” is an ambiguous concept that arouses the interest of people with different expertise, including the general public. This situation naturally creates several related ambiguities, for example about how consciousness should be understood scientifically and how we can explain it. Not least, it creates uncertainties about how we can translate the scientific knowledge we have […] The po…

A vital tool for ensuring and improving quality in healthcare is clinical guidelines. Guidelines are used to support the clinicians’ memory and evidence-based decision-making, as well as to guide the choice of investigations and treatments toward the most cost-efficient alternatives. Increased control over healthcare costs is also given higher priority as a larger proportion of […] The post Manag…

As patients, we are used to providing samples so that the physician can make a diagnosis and prognosis and choose treatment. But it is becoming more common for physicians to also order genomic tests in order to make the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment even more individualized. Even common diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and […] The post Do physicians have sufficient knowledge…

Caring for children with cancer involves more than just medical cancer treatment. Nurses are responsible for a wide range of nursing tasks. They discuss the disease and treatment with children and parents, monitor children’s nutritional needs, give pain treatment, insert catheters, care for wounds and much more. These nursing tasks are associated with varying degrees […] The post Need for evidenc…

Humans are good at solving problems. But solutions also cause unforeseen problems. The latter problems can be more difficult to understand because they are so close to us: we do not see how we ourselves create them through our solutions. A person who feels that no one smiles at her may be unaware of how […] The post When we ourselves contribute to the problem: a retrospective view of resignation …

Perhaps I should start by mentioning that I am not an expert on Confucius but find him inspiring. This post just expresses that inspiration, nothing else. Given how conflicts are constantly recreated, everywhere and in all areas, one might wonder if we can ever change by seeing our mistakes. We have mastered so much through […] The post Can we change by seeing our mistakes? appeared first on The …

Nurses who choose to pursue a doctorate and conduct research in the nursing and health sciences contribute greatly to the development of healthcare: the dissertation projects are often collaborations with healthcare. However, doctoral education in the field contains challenges for both doctoral students and their supervisors. One challenge is that many combine research with part-time […] The post…

Reliable information on medicine safety during breastfeeding is lacking for many medications. In order to avoid the risk of harming the baby, mothers taking medication for various diseases may be advised by their doctor to discontinue the medication during breastfeeding (or the woman herself may choose to discontinue). Alternatively, the woman may be advised to […] The post Conditions for studies…

To be an ethicist and philosopher is to be an advocate for time: “Wait, we need time to think this through.” This idea of letting things take their time rarely gains traction in society. It starts already in school, where the focus is often on being able to calculate quickly and recite as many words […] The post The importance of letting things take their time appeared first on The Ethics Blog .

A fascinating paper by Fredrik Andersen, Rani Lill Anjum, and Elena Rocca, “Philosophical bias is the one bias that science cannot avoid,” reminds us of something fundamental, but often forgotten, about the nature of scientific inquiry. Every scientist, whether they realize it or not, operates with fundamental assumptions about causality, determinism, reductionism, and the nature […] The post Can…

Debates about the possibility that artificial systems can develop the capacity for subjective experiences are becoming increasingly common. Indeed, the topic is fascinating and the discussion is gaining interest also from the public. Yet the risk of ideological and imaginative rather than scientific and rational reflections is quite high. Several factors make the idea of […] The post How to tell …

Inadequate staffing, competing tasks and unexpected events can sometimes make it difficult to provide patients with the best possible care. This can be particularly stressful when caring for children with severe diseases. For a nurse, experiencing situations where you cannot provide children with cancer with the best possible care (which means more than just the […] The post Paediatric nurses’ ex…

Patients who are treated in hospital for self-harm can sometimes arouse strong emotions in the staff. At the same time, the patients may be dissatisfied with their care, which sometimes involves restrictions and safety measures to prevent self-harm. In addition to such tensions between patients and staff, the healthcare staff is divided into different professions […] The post Interprofessional co…

Philosophers such as Socrates and philosophical schools such as Stoicism have had a certain influence on psychology and psychotherapy, and thus also on human health. But if philosophy can support human health via psychology, can it not support health more directly, on its own? A growing trend today is to offer philosophical conversations as a […] The post What is philosophical health and can it b…