Grant: Operating Grant - Priority Announcement: Ethics

Each year approximately 50,000 Canadians suffer a brain injury, and many of these individuals lose consciousness, some for days, some for months, and some for years. New technologies, such as magnetic resonance imaging, are currently being developed to improve the diagnosis, prognosis, and care of these historically neglected patients. This growing field of research raises a number of ethical concerns including high rates of misdiagnosis, end-of-life decision-making, and difficult resource allocation issues. To date, however, these issues have received limited attention. The bulk of the work that has been done, furthermore, has not focused on the Canadian context, a context that is characterized by unique system, resource, and attitudinal qualities. As a consequence, key practice communities (Canadian neuroimagers, clinicians, and ethicists) lack guidance that is adequately grounded in the lived reality of working with brain-injured patients. The purpose of this study is to identify and explore the ethical challenges associated with these developments in neuroimaging for Canada, and to produce guidelines vital to the development of best practices in research and health care for Canadians with brain disorders.