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Biomedical subjects

Alastair V Campbell

Publications and source records attributed to Alastair V Campbell.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Living well through chronic illness: the relevance of virtue theory to patients with chronic osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVE: Virtues and vices possessed by patients may affect their quality of life and how well they cope with disease. The objective of this study is to assess the relevance of the concept of virtue and vice to patients with chronic arthritis. METHODS: Aristotle's theory of virtue and vice was used to construct a guide for in-depth interviews, carried out with 5 patients with chronic osteoarthritis. Interviews were tape recorded, transcribed, and analyzed (using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis) for information on personal qualities or intellectual approaches that participants thought necessary to thrive in the face of chronic disease. RESULTS: Five main themes emerged: strength, prudence, gratitude, self-worth, and insight into flourishing. The data on each of these is compared with Aristotle's definitions of virtues and vices. CONCLUSIONS: Aristotle's virtue theory can be applied to the narratives of these patients with chronic osteoarthritis, and may help in understanding their coping strategies and quality of life.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2002

Reproductive medicine: the ethical issues in the twenty-first century.

Reproductive medicine has developed to such an extent that numerous moral questions arise about the boundaries of applications of new reproductive technology. It is possible to imagine a future in which 'designer babies' are created and in which cloning, sex selection and male pregnancy become the instruments of individual desire or social policy. In this article, the concept of 'natural' is explored but rejected as an insufficient moral criterion for deciding these complex questions. A case is made for the criterion of welfare of the child and for the concept of the child as gift rather than product.

Bioethics↗
PubMed1995

Defining core health services: the New Zealand experience.

The New Zealand health service has been extensively changed over the past four years, with the introduction of four new Regional Health Authorities, required to purchase services on behalf of the Government from a range of providers. In order to ensure fairness across the four regions a Core Services Committee has been set up to define which services must be purchased. However, no clear agreement has emerged about a "core" and no list, either positive (inclusions) or negative (exclusions), has been defined. Instead general criteria have been suggested and steps have been taken to consult the community on their priorities. This paper describes seven workshops run by the author in an effort to discover how the community would reach decisions on the rationing of scarce resources. The outcome of these workshops is that there is virtually no community support for an approach based on the social utility of individuals in need.

Advisory Committees↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Mental health practice: can philosophy help?

Traditionally, philosophy has been regarded as operating at a level above practical application. However, the discipline can offer mental health policy and practice some valuable aid. First, its logical rigour can help to clarify concepts and expose inconsistency and prejudice; second, its wealth of theory about morality can enrich the concepts that guide mental health practice. By avoiding simplistic solutions (such as reliance on the 'four principles' of biomedical ethics) those who turn to the discipline of philosophy may learn how to be more critical of accepted policies and practices.

Bioethics↗