Ethical Analysis on the Application of Neurotechnology for Human Augmentation in Physicians and Surgeons

TL;DR

It is argued that applying neurotechnology for human enhancement in physicians and surgeons can cause injustices, and harm to them and patients, and an analysis on outcomes and ethical issues of implementing human augmentation via neurotechnology in medical and surgical practice is presented.

Abstract

With the shortage of physicians and surgeons and increase in demand worldwide due to situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a growing interest in finding solutions to help address the problem. A solution to this problem would be to use neurotechnology to provide them augmented cognition, senses and action for optimal diagnosis and treatment. Consequently, doing so can negatively impact them and others. We argue that applying neurotechnology for human enhancement in physicians and surgeons can cause injustices, and harm to them and patients. In this paper, we will first describe the augmentations and neurotechnologies that can be used to achieve the relevant augmentations for physicians and surgeons. We will then review selected ethical concerns discussed within literature, discuss the neuroengineering behind using neurotechnology for augmentation purposes, then conclude with an analysis on outcomes and ethical issues of implementing human augmentation via neurotechnology in medical and surgical practice.

Figures (2)

• Figure 1: Diagram displaying the steps taken to obtain augmented gesture. First, the tactile sensors that are places on the hands or fingers of the surgeon. Once measurements are obtained, then they are sent to a controller (e.g. BCI) that evaluates, refines and translates the measurements into stimulations that neurons can react to. Upon receiving the stimulations, the neural circuits within the neurons reorganize themselves in a way that allows the surgeon’s brain to update itself on how to better perform the gesture. The gesture is then realized through neuroprosthetics combined with either a prosthetic or the surgeon’s hand.
• Figure 2: Diagram displaying the types of groups that would exist in the case where undergo types of augmentations for physicians and surgeons are optional, and a possible distribution of each group. To avoid providing false information, population percentages were omitted.