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Medical Ethics in Global Health Radiology

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Radiology in Global Health

Abstract

This chapter is offered as an acknowledgment of the importance of ethics in the reflective, appropriate care of patients in global radiology outreach. Low-resource work environments present unique ethical challenges to radiology outreach efforts. Even the most thoughtfully assembled team will confront unanticipated situations and face difficult choices. Principles of classical and global health ethics as they relate to the physician-patient relationship, technical resource limitations, and research are offered as a framework to approach and respond to these difficult situations. Cultural differences add layers of complexity to the evaluation and resolution of ethical dilemmas. Today, the universal applicability of principles from the Western tradition is increasingly debated. “Whose ethics?” is an appropriate question to ask when applying ethical principles to problems in diverse cultural and geopolitical settings. In this chapter, several real-world case scenarios encountered in the field are described and evaluated from the standpoint of Western and non-Western ethical principles and available resources for guidance.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Iowa City VA Health Care System, Department of Radiology, Iowa City, IA, USA

    Sarah L. Averill

  2. Temple University Hospital, Department of Radiology, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Farouk Dako

  3. University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Department of Radiology, Iowa City, IA, USA

    Janet H. Pollard

Authors
  1. Sarah L. Averill
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  2. Farouk Dako
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  3. Janet H. Pollard
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sarah L. Averill .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. RAD-AID International, Chevy Chase, MD, USA

    Daniel J. Mollura

  2. RAD-AID International, Chevy Chase, MD, USA

    Melissa P. Culp

  3. Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

    Matthew P. Lungren

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Averill, S.L., Dako, F., Pollard, J.H. (2019). Medical Ethics in Global Health Radiology. In: Mollura, D., Culp, M., Lungren, M. (eds) Radiology in Global Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98485-8_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98485-8_4

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-98484-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-98485-8

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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