What are Ethics?

• The rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class

of human actions or a particular group, culture, etc.
• Moral principles ‫ا لمبادئا ألخالقية‬
• Values relating to human conduct, with respect to the
rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the
goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such
actions.
Why are Ethics Important in
Biomedical Engineering?
• Any medical fields deal with serious and personal issues.
• Integrity ‫ ا لتزاهة‬and confidentiality are necessary to allow
engineering to conduct research with patients and for results to be
deemed relevant and progressive

• As technology advances so does our capabilities in engineering

and medical fields.
• These capabilities can allow us to achieve things people may deem
as science crossing into nature or religion/beliefs.
‫يمكن أن تسمح لنا هذه القدرات بتحقيق أشياء قد يعتبرها الناس على أنها عبور العلم إلى‬
‫الطبيعة أو الدين أو المعتقدات‬
How are Codes of Ethics Created
in Biomedical Engineering?
• Combines ethics from both the medical field and engineering
fields.
• Examples:
• Medical: Hippocratic Oath ‫ق سم أبقراط‬
• Engineering: ABET & other organizations

• Biomedical engineers may not be medical practitioners but

they are considered indirect practitioners.
• Work closely with practitioners.
“Types” of Ethics in Biomedical
Engineering
• Professional Ethics
• Being honest and impartial ‫غير متحيز‬
• Not publishing false reports

• Patient Ethics
• Confidentiality
• Full disclosure

• Natural & Human ethics

• Not “playing God”
• Not interfering with natural life and/or nature.
• Not crossing the line between improving quality of life and changing
life.
Consequences of Breaking the
Codes of Ethics
• Ethic standards are not necessarily legally prosecuted when
broken

• You lose credibility in your field.

• May be sued in the form of torts, personal injury law suits.

• ‫تحت دعاوى قانون الضرر الشخصي‬، ‫يمكن مقاضاته في شكل األضرار‬.
Ethics Associations
• Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)

• National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE)

• Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES)

• Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)

• American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)

‫‪ABET Code of Ethics of‬‬
‫‪Engineers‬‬
‫‪The Fundamental Principles‬‬

‫يحافظ المهندسون ويدعمون نزاهة وشرف وكرامة مهنة‬

‫الهندسة‬

‫•‬
‫‪.‬استخدام معرفتهم ومهارتهم لتعزيز رفاهية اإلنسان‬
‫•‬
‫أن يكونوا صادقين وغير منحازين ‪ ،‬وأن بعملوا بإخالص مع‬
‫‪.‬الجمهور وأرباب عملهم وعمالئهم‬
‫•‬
‫السعي لزيادة كفاءة ومكانة مهنة الهندسة‬
‫دعم الجمعيات المهنية والتقنية في تخصصاتهم•‬
Ethics & Education!
• Ethics influence how and what we are taught in school.

• ABET accredits schools however in order to receive

accreditation programs must meet standards and teach their
students required material.

• That means ethics is influencing everything we are learning

right now!