Technology gives us new possibilities for diagnosis and therapy, but also for the organization of care, such as patient records and distance care. However, this involves risks in the form of wrong diagnoses, injuries in care, intrusion into patient privacy, etc. It is important that medicine technology works as intended and that healthcare professionals, patients and the public trust and accept this technology. Otherwise, we cannot take advantage of what technology has to offer.
It is also important that healthcare professionals and all users of medicine technology understand how it works and what effects it may have. They need the ability to handle problems that may arise during use, including non-technical ones. Ethics is therefore a very important aspect in medicine technology development and use. It is necessary to integrate ethical aspects in the design of technology, and to develop and apply methods and tools to support ethical decision making of healthcare professionals, patients and all involved stakeholders.