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______________________________ Forward Header __________________________________
Subject: The Internet Healthcare Coalition's eHealth Ethics Summit Re
Author:  IHC Ethics Summit Working Group <[log in to unmask]> at
INTERNET
Date:    2/18/00 11:20 AM


e-Health Ethics Summit Offers World
International Code of Ethics For The Health Internet
     
--Public Comment and Review Process To Begin Immediately--
     
WASHINGTON, D.C., February 18, 2000 - The first draft of the Internet 
Healthcare Coalition endorsed "International e-Health Code of Ethics" was 
unveiled today and can be fully accessed with additional notes and 
definitions via the Coalition's Web site at: 
http://www.ihealthcoalition.org/community/ethics.html.
     
This draft Code represents both the insights and reflections of the e-Health 
Ethics Summit which convened in Washington, D.C. 31 January - 2 February 
2000.  The draft in its present form has not yet been formally endorsed by 
the e-Health Ethics Summit.  Formal endorsement will take place after an 
eight-week period of public comment and consultation.  Following this 
period, the draft will be revised for final publication on or about 15 May 
2000.
     
"Never before have we witnessed such broad consensus on such an important 
topic," said e-Health Ethics Summit Co-Chair Helga Rippen, MD, PhD, MPH.
     
"Through a democratic process we have offered the world a truly 
international, living Code of e-Health Ethics," said e-Health Ethics Summit 
Co-Chair Ahmad Risk, MD.  "Continued review and public consultation will 
only make it stronger and more widely accepted."
     
The e-Health Ethics Summit Steering Group oversaw the work of The Hastings 
Center, an independent, non-profit research institute that addresses ethical 
issues in medicine and the life sciences, which has reviewed, organized and 
edited the minutes of the working Summit to develop the current draft Code. 
While developing the draft, both the Steering Group and The Hastings Center 
preserved the original language of the working Summit.
     
This draft Code was created with the input from all key Internet Health 
constituencies including consumers and patients, healthcare professionals, 
ethicists, dot-com entities, academicians, special-interest societies, 
manufacturers of regulated drugs and medical devices, governmental agencies, 
and international representatives.
     
The International e-Health Code of Ethics:
     
Vision Statement:
The Internet is changing how people receive health information and health 
care. All who use the Internet for health-related purposes must join 
together to create an environment of trusted relationships to assure high 
quality information and services, protect privacy, and enhance the value of 
the Internet for both consumers and providers of health information, 
products, and services. The goal of the "e-Health Code of Ethics" is to 
ensure that all people worldwide can confidently, and without risk, realize 
the full benefits of the Internet to improve their health.
Introduction:
     
Health information has the potential both to improve health and to do harm. 
All people who use the Internet for health-related purposes must be able to 
trust that the sites they visit adhere to the highest ethical standards and 
that the information provided is credible.
     
Because health and health care are critically important to people, the 
organizations and individuals that provide health information on the 
Internet have special, strong obligations to be trustworthy, provide high 
quality content, protect users' privacy, and adhere to standards of best 
practices for online commerce and online professional services in health 
care.
     
     
Guiding Principles
     
1. Candor & Trustworthiness
     
Guiding Principle:
Organizations and individuals providing health information, products, or 
services on the Internet have an obligation to candidly disclose
(A) Those factors that could influence content
(B) The potential risks of providing personal information on the Internet
     
2. Quality
     
Guiding Principle:
Organizations and individuals offering health information, products, or 
services on the Internet have an obligation to
(A) Provide high quality information, products, or services
(B) Provide means for users to evaluate the quality of health information
     
3. Informed Consent, Privacy & Confidentiality
     
Guiding Principle:
Organizations and individuals providing health information, products, or 
services on the Internet have an obligation to
(A) Safeguard users' privacy
(B) Obtain users' informed consent when gathering personal information
     
4. Best Commercial Practices
     
Guiding Principle:
Organizations and individuals who sponsor, promote, or sell health 
information, products, or services on the Internet have an obligation to 
(A) Disclose any information a reasonable person would believe might 
influence his or her decision to purchase or use products or services (B) 
Be truthful and not deceptive
(C) Engage in responsible business relationships and affiliations 
(D) Guarantee editorial independence
(E) Disclose the site's privacy policy and terms of use
     
5. Best Practices for Provision of Health Care on the Internet by Health 
Care Professionals
     
Guiding Principle:
Health care professionals and organizations who provide health information, 
products, or services on the Internet have an obligation to
(A) Adhere to the highest standards of professional practice
(B) Help patients to understand how the Internet affects the relationship 
between professional and patient while adapting the highest professional 
standards to the evolving interactions made possible by the Internet
     
Comments about the Code are welcome via the Internet Coalition's Web site, 
http://www.internethealth.org.
     
About the Internet Healthcare Coalition
The Internet Healthcare Coalition, a non-profit, non-partisan organization, 
is dedicated to identifying and promoting quality healthcare resources on 
the Internet.  Founded in 1997 and based in Washington, D.C., the 
Coalition's membership represents every sector of the Internet health space, 
including consumers, commercial developers of health information, medical 
libraries, special-interest societies, and manufacturers of regulated drugs 
and medical devices.
     
The goal of the Coalition is to educate healthcare consumers and 
professionals about the evolving issues relating to the quality of Internet 
health resources and information.  In October 1999, responding to calls from 
within the Internet health community, the Coalition launched its ongoing 
"eHealth Ethics Initiative" to provide a forum for the development of a 
universal set of ethical principles for health-related Web sites.
     
More information regarding the Internet Healthcare Coalition and its 
"eHealth Ethics Initiative" can be found on the Web at 
http://www.ihealthcoalition.org.
     
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