Prof. Eva Winkler

Contact Section Leader

 

Prof.Dr.med.Dr.phil. Eva Winkler

E-mail: eva.winkler@med.uni-heidelberg.de

Section Translational Medical Ethics – Focus: Ethics and Patient oriented Care in Oncology (EPOC)

Section Leader: Prof. Dr. med. Dr. phil. Eva Winkler

Due to the impressing medical & technological progress fostered by structural and systemic changes in health care, ethical issues in oncology and research constantly gain importance. Such issues include, for instance, the informed consent process in research, patient’s rights and the right to self-determination or the ethical justification of expensive treatments facing limited resources in health care.

Model of empirical ethics

Figure 1: Model of empirical ethics

The concept of Empirical Ethics combines empirical studies in patient care and research with ethical analysis (cf. figure 1).

  • The concept of empirical ethics starts with a clinical or research question that causes moral distress.
  • In a first step, the empirical research allows for a detailed account of the ethical questions at stake.
  • The ethical analysis weighs the values and ethical principles affected in order to develop an ethically sound recommendation.
  • To close the concept, this recommendation aims at informing our decisions in the clinical or research context - be it as an aid in decision-making, as an advice or a counselling service.

NCT-EPOC research, teaching and clinical activities focus on: