Towards Future Consumer Health Informatics Adapted Health Care Legislation

Abstract

Moral theories and maxims shape the relation between what a society regards as good behaviors and its laws. Depending on whether Consumer Health Informatics services practice medicine or foster well-being legislation and morality of either the healing professions or of mundane services apply. Lay persons have the right to free speech. In the problematic case of professionals contributing to practice of medicine exclusively online many services are presently illegal although a scrutinized clinical trial and ethical assessment can come to the conclusion that they are doing good according to widely appreciated Principles of Biomedical Ethics (cf. Beauchamp and Childress, Principles of biomedical ethics, 7th edn. Oxford University Press, Oxford/New York, 2013). Regarding the immanent dramatic shortage of health care workforce it is immoral to not seriously consider Consumer Health Informatics as alternative to deliver health care and eventually to legalize approved services.