Societal considerations

In this chapter I have outlined broad ethical and societal considerations which impact on pharmacovigilance. In terms of ethics, a balance is required between protecting individuals and the common good. To support system credibility, the need for transparency of drug safety information and processes is increasingly being recognised. It would be in everyone s interest if society... 

Socioeconomic/societal considerations What are the down sides in terms of expense and impact on the public or large populations ... 

While quantitative decision support tools have many advantages for decision-making, they cannot capture the full and diverse range of societal considerations of risk acceptability, Stewart (2010). More specifically many societal, economic, cultural, environmental, political and other considerations are hardly quantifiable. That is why the probabilistic risk assessment should be viewed only as a tool supporting decision-makers. 

After the teacher and students have mapped the problem in engineering and scientific terms, the students will brainstorm what possible solution can best address the problem. We can add social and health consequences related to the problem that they are facing. The teacher can encourage them to be mindful of the initial problem, the constraints, and mindful that the solution wiU have an end. For example, considering a different case, let us say that they designed a tool to help elders transport buckets of water from one end of a building to another. In addition to cultural and societal considerations, it is important to understand what will happen to the technology after it ceases to be useful What parts can be reused Can it be recycled We need to be mindful of the product lifecycle. To map the product lifecycle with Buddhist philosophy, we can reference the principle of impermanence. 

In engineering practice, other important criteria mnst be considered in the development of a marketable product. Some of these are economic in nature, which, to some degree, are unrelated to scientific principles and engineering practice and yet are significant if a product is to be competitive in the commercial marketplace. Other criteria that should be addressed involve environmental and societal issnes such as pollution, disposal, recycling, toxicity, and energy. This final chapter offers relatively brief overviews of economic, environmental, and societal considerations that are important in engineering practice. 

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