Martani Andrea, Tian Yi Jiao Angelina, Felber Nadine, Wangmo Tenzin
University of Basel.
Nurs Ethics. 2025 Feb;32(1):141-155. doi: 10.1177/09697330241238340. Epub 2024 Mar 12.
Gerontechnologies are increasingly used in the care for older people. Many studies on their acceptability and ethical implications are conducted, but mainly from the perspective of principlism. This narrows our ethical gaze on the implications the use of these technologies have.
How do participants speak about the impact that gerontechnologies have on the different phases of care, and care as a process? What are the moral implications from an ethic of care perspective?
Secondary analysis of semi-structure interviews, whose segments on specific technologies were analysed through reflexive thematic analysis.
Sixty-seven Swiss stakeholders involved in the use of gerontechnologies, including professional caregivers, informal caregivers, and older persons themselves.
The research study was evaluated by the Ethics Commission of Northwest and Central Switzerland (EKNZ). All participants received an information document before the interview date detailing the purpose, procedure, and anonymization measures. After explaining the study during the agreed upon interview time and upon receiving their written informed consent, the interview process began.
FINDINGS/RESULTS: Four themes are identified: Identifying care needs, Taking responsibility, Hands-on work, Responding to care. As part of these themes, many codes highlighting the ambivalent impact of gerontechnologies are created, ranging from 'Expanded capacity for…identifying care needs' to 'Create new & (un)necessary…hands-on work'. The moral implications of these results from the care ethics perspective are discussed, through the ethical elements of: attentiveness, responsibility, competence, and responsiveness.
The moral implications of gerontechnologies on care phases from the care ethics perspective open up several questions on whether they actually help give care a central role in social life and provide more competent care.
老年技术越来越多地用于老年人护理。针对其可接受性和伦理影响开展了许多研究，但主要是从原则主义的角度进行的。这缩小了我们对这些技术使用所产生影响的伦理审视范围。
参与者如何谈论老年技术对护理不同阶段以及护理过程本身的影响？从关怀伦理的角度来看，其道德影响是什么？
对半结构式访谈进行二次分析，通过反思性主题分析对关于特定技术的访谈片段进行分析。
67名参与老年技术使用的瑞士利益相关者，包括专业护理人员、非正式护理人员以及老年人自身。
该研究由瑞士西北部和中部伦理委员会（EKNZ）进行评估。所有参与者在访谈日期前都收到了一份信息文件，详细说明了研究目的、程序和匿名措施。在约定的访谈时间解释完研究内容并获得他们的书面知情同意后，访谈过程开始。
确定了四个主题：确定护理需求、承担责任、实际操作、回应护理。作为这些主题的一部分，创建了许多突出老年技术矛盾影响的编码，从“扩大……确定护理需求的能力”到“创造新的及（非）必要的……实际操作工作”。通过关注、责任、能力和回应等伦理要素，从关怀伦理的角度讨论了这些结果的道德影响。
从关怀伦理的角度来看，老年技术对护理阶段的道德影响引发了几个问题，即它们是否真的有助于使护理在社会生活中发挥核心作用并提供更专业的护理。
