UCL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGYDCEE
Ethics in Epilepsy
Ley Sander MD PhD FRCPDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy
UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London and
SEIN – Epilepsy Institute in the Netherlands Foundation
Heemstede, the Netherlands
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Epilepsy and Ethics
• Care and Health Care are basic human rights
• All individual and entities have a duty of care in their dealing with other and with the environment • To exercise reasonable care with respect to the
interests of others, including protecting them from harm
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Differing aspects of epilepsy• Seizures – not there most of the time!
– Frequency & severity, unpredictability, safety
• Physical – Impairment of function, mobility, morbidity, co-morbidity
• Emotional and behavioural – Depression, anxiety, adjustment to circumstances
• Social and family functioning– Relationships, dependence, family, leisure
• Cognitive and academic– Schooling, employment, aspirations, expectations
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Ethics:• The Sciences of morality
• In Philosophy, ethical behavior is that which is “good" or “right"
• Concepts such as "good“, "bad“, "right“, "wrong“, "moral“, "immoral” • But these concept may have very different meaning for
different people!
UCL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGYDCEEUCL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGY
DCEE
Ethics:• The Sciences of morality
• In Philosophy, ethical behavior is that which is “good" or “right"
• Concepts such as "good“, "bad“, "right“, "wrong“, "moral“, "immoral” • But these concept may have very different meaning for
different people!
• Ethically duty of care needs to be exercised properly and impartially
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Ethics:
• Set of moral values that govern interactions of oneself with others, with society and with surroundings encompassing all spheres
• Concerns duties, obligations, and taking the right actions in dealing with others
– Duty of care
• Values, priorities, and morals
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Ethics in Epilepsy
• Multi-faceted condition which affects many domains of people’s life
• As such many aspects to ethics in epilepsy
• Involve relations between people with epilepsy and their carers, family, peer group, health providers, and society as a whole
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Differing Aspects of Ethics in Epilepsy • Clinical Work
• Care
• Research
• Disclosure
• Code of Ethics
• Conflict of Interests
• Treatment Gap
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Clinical Work • Treatment choices
• Decision to treat or not to treat
• People with learning disabilities
• Consent and assent • Treatment procedures • Investigations
• Emergency care
• Terminal care
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Care • Decision making
• Emergency treatment • Calling emergency services• Taking to hospital
• People with learning disabilities• Choices
• Placement• Treatment• Participation in research• Contraception
• Right to privacy
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Research Work I • Detailed study of a subject or issue to discover
new information or reach new understanding
• Must provide benefit
• Should not harm
• Not all “research” is research • service evaluation • audit
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Research Work II • Valid research question
• Appropriate methodology • Well described • Reproducible
• Ethically approved
• Dissemination of results
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Research Work III • Degree of information for consent
• Excluding certain groups from research• Woman in childbearing age• Woman who are pregnant • People with learning disability • People with certain family histories• People with certain co-morbidities• People with previous histories of specific reactions
• People with Learning Disability • Participation in research • Assent or consent
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Research Work II • Scientific integrity• Fraud and misconduct
• Making up data• “Cooking the books”• Plagiarism
• Sloppiness• Cutting corners• Carelessness• Plagiarism
• Animals rights
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Disclosure
• Right to privacy
• Right to confidentiality • Disclosure of medical information• Balancing confidentiality against public interest
• Pilots, drivers, soldiers, bus/train driver with epilepsy
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Conflict of Interest • When someone has more than one interest in
an issue when impartiality is a must
• Dealing with Conflict of Interest • Removal
• Recusal
• Disclosure
• Ethical Code
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Ethical Code • Better think of the issues ahead
• Code of Ethics (institutional, corporate, business)• Sets out general principles on organization's beliefs• Assists making decisions involving 'right' and 'wrong'
concepts
• Code of Conduct (employees ethics)
• Code of Practice (professional ethics)
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Epilepsy in resource poor settings
• Most people with epilepsy in LAMIC
• Usually low health budget • Less than US$ 10/year per capita
• Chronic diseases not a priority• Inoculations, infectious diseases , child health
• Very high treatment gap• High Burden
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Epilepsy in resource poor settings
• Is it ethical for LAMIC to channel limited resources from direct epilepsy care to research?
• In a country with limited resources, when does ignoring the high treatment gap become an ethical issue?
• Do countries with plentiful resources have an ethical responsibility to help relieve the high epilepsy treatment gap of poor countries?
Tan & Avanizini. Epilepsia 2009
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Epilepsy and Ethics: conclusions
• Differing aspects of both epilepsy and ethics
• Best interest of other paramount in care
• Proactive in identifying issues that may raise questions• Need for Ethical Codes
• Ethics, not law or being professional, should provide the ultimate guidance for what we do • The law of least effort should never apply!