Applying a Precautionary Approach to Mobile Contact Tracing for COVID-19: The Value of Reversibility.
Infectious disease
Public health ethics
Risk, Precautionary principle, Pandemic
Uncertainty
mHealth
Journal
Journal of bioethical inquiry
ISSN: 1872-4353
Titre abrégé: J Bioeth Inq
Pays: Netherlands
ID NLM: 101250741
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
Dec 2020
Dec 2020
Historique:
received:
10
05
2020
accepted:
27
07
2020
pubmed:
26
8
2020
medline:
2
1
2021
entrez:
26
8
2020
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
The COVID-19 pandemic presents unprecedented challenges to public health decision-making. Specifically, the lack of evidence and the urgency with which a response is called for, raise the ethical challenge of assessing how much (and what kind of) evidence is required for the justification of interventions in response to the various threats we face. Here we discuss the intervention of introducing technology that aims to trace and alert contacts of infected persons-contact tracing (CT) technology. Determining whether such an intervention is proportional is complicated by complex trade-offs and feedback loops. We suggest that the resulting uncertainties necessitate a precautionary approach. On the one hand, precautionary reasons support CT technology as a means to contribute to the prevention of harms caused by alternative interventions, or COVID-19 itself. On the other hand, however, both the extent to which such technology itself present risks of serious harm, as well as its effectiveness, remain unclear. We therefore argue that a precautionary approach should put reversibility of CT technology at the forefront. We outline several practical implications.
Identifiants
pubmed: 32840831
doi: 10.1007/s11673-020-10004-z
pii: 10.1007/s11673-020-10004-z
pmc: PMC7445727
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
823-827Subventions
Organisme : Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (DE)
ID : 01GP1791
Commentaires et corrections
Type : ErratumIn
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