Affiliations: [a] Institute for Design & Assessment of Technology, Argentinierstrasse 8/187, Vienna University of Technology, A-1040 Vienna, Austria. Tel.: +43 1 588 01 187 28; Fax: +43 1 588 01 187 99; E-mail: mrauhala@pop.tuwien.ac.at. | [b] National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health, STAKES, P.O. Box 220, FIN-00531 Helsinki, Finland. Tel.: +358 9 3967 2108; Fax: +358 9 3967 2054; E-mail: paivi.topo@stakes.fi
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Abstract: In this paper we argue that developing self-legislative ethical guidance documents to inform the research and development of enabling technologies for older persons and disabled persons is a worthwhile pursuit. The basis of the discussion is an argument from analogy between clinical medical research and enabling technology research. Similarities between clinical medical research and development of enabling technology research and development are that trial participation does not equal benefit to participants, informed consent can be problematic, participants may incur costs, participation can be risky, situation of participants after the trial is uncertain, the privacy of participant data is of central importance, user groups with special needs as participants are involved, raising unfounded expectations is a concern, and that ethics committees are relevant in designing studies. Despite these parallels, the ethical guidelines for clinical medical research cannot as such be implemented to the multiprofessional and multidisciplinary field of enabling technology research and development. As the search for technological solutions for the support of independent living of older and disabled persons has become a source of increasing attention in recent years, ethical issues have been emerging especially through the implementation of information and communication technology for new and often vulnerable user groups. Topical ethical issues in enabling technology include the surveillance of persons and the accumulation of personal information in new types of databases. In developing ethical guidelines for this growing field of enabling technology development, the role of international professional organizations is crucial.
