Ethically Informed Software Process for Smart Health Home

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Ethically Informed Software Process for Smart Health Home

Xiang Zhang, Matthew Pike, Nasser Mustafa, Vladimir Brusic

IEEE 35th International Symposium on Computer-Based Medical Systems (CBMS) | 2022 | View on Publisher's Website

Abstract

This paper addresses the ethical challenges in designing Smart Health Homes (SHHs) that integrate IoT technologies, wearable sensors, and health-related applications. The study identifies six core ethical requirements for SHHs: safety/trust, privacy/data security, protection of vulnerable groups, individual autonomy, transparency/explainability/fairness, and social responsibility/morality. By mapping these ethical considerations to software engineering processes, the authors propose a set of guidelines structured as questions to inform each development phase. The work highlights the gap in existing regulatory frameworks for medical software and emphasizes the need for ethically driven design to ensure compliance, user trust, and societal benefit. The findings provide actionable insights for developers, healthcare professionals, and policymakers to enhance SHH systems while addressing normative and acceptance barriers.