Health Technologies and Impermissible Delays : The Case of Digital Breast Tomosynthesis
(2025) In Science and Engineering Ethics 31(3).- Abstract
This paper argues that we have a moral obligation to implement certain health technologies even if we have limited or incomplete evidence of their effectiveness. The focus is on technologies used in non-emergency settings, as opposed to “exceptional cases” such as compassionate use and emergency approvals during public health emergencies. A broadly plausible moral principle – the Ecumenical Principle – is introduced and applied to a test case: the use of Digital Breast Tomosynthesis in mammographic screening. The paper concludes by exploring the implications of the Ecumenical Principle for the adoption of other new health technologies.
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/3c88eceb-2d14-4d52-8c68-ab2c776e4db1
- author
- Rosenqvist, Simon
; Dustler, Magnus
LU
and Brännmark, Johan
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025-06
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Clinical utility, Health technologies, Health technology assessments, Mammography, Medical ethics, Moral principles
- in
- Science and Engineering Ethics
- volume
- 31
- issue
- 3
- article number
- 13
- publisher
- Springer
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105004465778
- pmid:40332720
- ISSN
- 1353-3452
- DOI
- 10.1007/s11948-025-00535-2
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 3c88eceb-2d14-4d52-8c68-ab2c776e4db1
- date added to LUP
- 2025-07-30 13:36:59
- date last changed
- 2025-07-31 03:06:17
@article{3c88eceb-2d14-4d52-8c68-ab2c776e4db1, abstract = {{<p>This paper argues that we have a moral obligation to implement certain health technologies even if we have limited or incomplete evidence of their effectiveness. The focus is on technologies used in non-emergency settings, as opposed to “exceptional cases” such as compassionate use and emergency approvals during public health emergencies. A broadly plausible moral principle – the Ecumenical Principle – is introduced and applied to a test case: the use of Digital Breast Tomosynthesis in mammographic screening. The paper concludes by exploring the implications of the Ecumenical Principle for the adoption of other new health technologies.</p>}}, author = {{Rosenqvist, Simon and Dustler, Magnus and Brännmark, Johan}}, issn = {{1353-3452}}, keywords = {{Clinical utility; Health technologies; Health technology assessments; Mammography; Medical ethics; Moral principles}}, language = {{eng}}, number = {{3}}, publisher = {{Springer}}, series = {{Science and Engineering Ethics}}, title = {{Health Technologies and Impermissible Delays : The Case of Digital Breast Tomosynthesis}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11948-025-00535-2}}, doi = {{10.1007/s11948-025-00535-2}}, volume = {{31}}, year = {{2025}}, }