Identifying High-Priority Ethical Challenges for Precision Emergency Medicine: Nominal Group Study

• DOI: 10.2196/68371
• Publication Date: 2025-02-07T06:54:21Z
• Authors: Christian Rose; Emily Shearer; Isabela Woller; Ashley Foster; Nicholas Ashenburg; Ireh Kim; Jennifer Newberry
• Keywords: Thematic Analysis; Mandate

Abstract Background Precision medicine promises to revolutionize health care by providing the right patient at time. However, emergency department’s unique mandate treat “anyone, anywhere, anytime” creates critical tensions with precision medicine’s requirements for comprehensive data and computational analysis. As departments serve as care’s safety net provide a growing proportion of acute in America, identifying addressing ethical challenges implementing this setting is crucial prevent exacerbation existing disparities. The rapid advancement technologies makes it imperative understand these before widespread implementation settings. Objective This study aimed identify high priority concerns facing department. Methods We conducted qualitative using modified nominal group technique (NGT) physicians who had previous knowledge concepts. NGT process consisted four phases: (1) silent generation ideas, (2) round-robin sharing (3) structured discussion clarification, (4) thematic grouping priorities. Participants represented diverse practice settings (county hospital, community academic center, integrated managed consortium) subspecialties (education, ethics, pediatrics, diversity, equity, inclusion, informatics) across various career stages from residents late-career physicians. Results A total 12 identified 82 initial during individual ideation, which were consolidated 48 after removing duplicates combining related items. average participant contributed 6.8 (SD 2.9) challenges. These organized into framework 3 themes: values, privacy, justice. need address themes time points process: acquisition data, actualization setting, effects its use. systematic organization revealed interrelated spanning collection bias long-term consequences equity. Conclusions Our developed novel that maps domains (values, justice) temporal implementation. identifies high-priority areas future research policy development, particularly around representation, privacy protection, equitable access. Successfully essential realize potential while preserving core mission net.