Methodological and Ethical Risks Associated with the Epistemic Unification of Tribe Members

Open Peer CommentaryIn my commentary, I discuss the risk that shifting the focus from individuals to a group subject (even in ethical discussions on their participation in research) may strengthen the epistemic tendency to treat tribes as a homogeneous group.This work was supported by National Science Center, Poland no. UMO-2020/39/D/HS1/00636.2110323410.1080/15265161.2021.1965249The American Journal of Bioethic

Health privacy, racialization, and the causal potential of legal regulations

Open Peer CommentaryOur commentary addresses three issues. First, we point out an additional problematic dimension of excessive health privacy loss, namely, the potential racialization of groups and individuals that it may likely contribute to. Second, we note that, in our view, the authors’ argument for more regulation rests on an invidious comparison between the realistically described status quo and the idealized picture of the imagined regulatory regime that the authors briefly propose. Third, we argue that, despite existing regulations, both private and government actors frequently use private data in ways that lead to ethically problematic outcomes, especially when it comes to racialized communities.Joanna K. Malinowska was supported by a grant from the National Science Centre, Poland, no. UMO-2020/39/D/HS1/00636227767810.1080/15265161.2022.2075966The American Journal of Bioethic

Fizykalizm i ewolucjonizm w epistemologii znaturalizowanej

The book is an in-depth study of naturalized epistemology in its two versions - physicalist and evolutionist. At the same time, it is the sole existing detailed discussion of evolutionary epistemology (as far as Polish and foreign literature is concerned). Malinowska asks about the ontological, methodological, and epistemological foundations of the positions she discusses. She argues (referring not only to philosophical discussions but also those in the field of neuroscience or genetics) that bio-cultural constructivism (a research program pursued by cultural neuroscience, among other fields) is a contemporary, interdisciplinary continuation of the evolutionary epistemology program. The book’s accessible language, clear structure and multidisciplinary nature make it an exciting read for a wide audience

Reductionist methodology and the ambiguity of the categories of race and ethnicity in biomedical research: an exploratory study of recent evidence

In this article, we analyse how researchers use the categories of race and ethnicity with reference to genetics and genomics. We show that there is still considerable conceptual “messiness” (despite the wide-ranging and popular debate on the subject) when it comes to the use of ethnoracial categories in genetics and genomics that among other things makes it difficult to properly compare and interpret research using ethnoracial categories, as well as draw conclusions from them. Finally, we briefly reconstruct some of the biases of reductionism to which geneticists (as well as other researchers referring to genetic methods and explanations) are particularly exposed to, and we analyse the problem in the context of the biologization of ethnoracial categories. Our work constitutes a novel, in-depth contribution to the debate about reporting race and ethnicity in biomedical and health research. First, we reconstruct the theoretical background assumptions about racial ontology which researchers implicitly presume in their studies with the aid of a sample of recent papers published in medical journals about COVID-19. Secondly, we use the typology of the biases of reductionism to the problem of biologization of ethnoracial categories with reference to genetics and genomics

Towards the multileveled and processual conceptualisation of racialised individuals in biomedical research

In this paper, we discuss the processes of racialisation on the example of biomedical research. We argue that applying the concept of racialisation in biomedical research can be much more precise, informative and suitable than currently used categories, such as race and ethnicity. For this purpose, we construct a model of the different processes affecting and co-shaping the racialisation of an individual, and consider these in relation to biomedical research, particularly to studies on hypertension. We finish with a discussion on the potential application of our proposition to institutional guidelines on the use of racial categories in biomedical research

Epistemological Pitfalls in the Proxy Theory of Race: The Case of Genomics-Based Medicine

In this article, we discuss epistemological limitations relating to the use of ethnoracial categories in biomedical research as devised by the Office of Management and Budget’s institutional guidelines. We argue that the obligation to use ethnoracial categories in genomics research should be abandoned. First, we outline how conceptual imprecision in the definition of ethnoracial categories can generate epistemic uncertainty in medical research and practice. Second, we focus on the use of ethnoracial categories in medical genetics, particularly genomics-based precision medicine, where ethnoracial identity is understood as a proxy for medically relevant differences among individuals. Notably, extensive criticisms have been made already against the genetic interpretation of races, but, nonetheless, the concept of race remains a key element of contemporary genomics. This motivates us to explore possible reasons why such criticisms may have been ineffective in redirecting attention to other (non-race-based) ways of controlling for human variability. We contend that popular arguments against the idea that human races have a genetic basis, though convincing in many respects, are not sufficient to exclude the pragmatic use of race and ethnicity as proxies for genetic variability related to complex phenotypes. Finally, we provide two further arguments to support the idea that ethnoracial categories are unlikely to provide meaningful insights into medical genetics, which implies that even the interpretation of race as a useful tool to stratify disease risk is unwarranted

Epistemological Pitfalls in the Proxy Theory of Race: The Case of Genomics-Based Medicine

In this article, we discuss epistemological limitations relating to the use of ethnoracial categories in biomedical research as devised by the Office of Management and Budget’s institutional guidelines. We argue that the obligation to use ethnoracial categories in genomics research should be abandoned. First, we outline how conceptual imprecision in the definition of ethnoracial categories can generate epistemic uncertainty in medical research and practice. Second, we focus on the use of ethnoracial categories in medical genetics, particularly genomics-based precision medicine, where ethnoracial identity is understood as a proxy for medically relevant differences among individuals. Notably, extensive criticisms have been made already against the genetic interpretation of races, but, nonetheless, the concept of race remains a key element of contemporary genomics. This motivates us to explore possible reasons why such criticisms may have been ineffective in redirecting attention to other (non-race-based) ways of controlling for human variability. We contend that popular arguments against the idea that human races have a genetic basis, though convincing in many respects, are not sufficient to exclude the pragmatic use of race and ethnicity as proxies for genetic variability related to complex phenotypes. Finally, we provide two further arguments to support the idea that ethnoracial categories are unlikely to provide meaningful insights into medical genetics, which implies that even the interpretation of race as a useful tool to stratify disease risk is unwarranted

Adverse events in professional practice of nurses working in anaesthetic and intensive care units

The main goal of modern health protection systems is to provide such a high quality level of medical services including patients' safety. Because of their specific both anaesthetics and intensive care medicine increase the risk of many dangers, especially adverse events. Analysis of adverse events occurrence during nurses’ work experience, focusing on nurses who work in intensive care or anaesthetics. Recognition of adverse events' incidence and reasons. Research was done on 83 nurses working in intensive care and anaesthetics; the majority of them were women (approx 96.4%). An average age of examined ones was 35.6 years (SD = 8.2). Researchers used authorial questionnaire that had been based on literature analysis and research instrument: Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture. 32.5% of examined persons declared occurrence of an adverse event during doing a professional activity. Prominent plurality of them said as well that the number of nurses in employment was insufficient (p = 0.018) or work at night hours caused the risk of adverse events (p = 0.022). Among persons who declared occurrence of an adverse event 51.9% had not reported this fact to their supervisors. An adverse event that happened the most often was accidental removal of either endotracheal or feeding tube (68.7%). The following conclusions were made: 1. Every third respondent declared occurrence of an adverse event during performing work. 2. Prominent majority of examined persons found reporting adverse events as a duty of every worker but only every other of those who declared occurrence of an adverse event notified a supervisor about it. 3. The incidence of adverse events depended on the respondents' opinion about working conditions. Sociodemographic aspects did not influence the incidence of mistakes