Biomedical instrumentation applies engineering principles to measure, evaluate, and treat biological systems using sensors. While biomedical engineers are not doctors, they work closely with medical practitioners to assess patients, diagnose diseases, treat illnesses, and aid rehabilitation. As medical instruments are now essential to doctors, biomedical tools must be precisely designed, accurate, user-friendly, and adhere to ethical standards including informed consent, voluntary participation, confidentiality, anonymity, and assessing only relevant physiological features to avoid harming patients.

1. ETHICS IN BIOMEDICAL
INSTRUMENTATION
SAMI-UD-DIN
PhD Scholar (Islamic Banking and Finance)
Riphah International University Islamabad

2. DEFINITION OF BIOMEDICAL
INSTRUMENTATION
• Biomedical instrumentation is the application of the principles of biomedical engineering,
which focuses on the devices and mechanics used to measure, evaluate, and treat
biological systems.
• It focuses on the use of multiple sensors to monitor physiological characteristics of a
human or animal.

3. IMPORTANCE
• Biomedical engineers may not be medical practitioners, but they are considered
indirect practitioners.
• They work closely to the medical practitioners.
• They facilitate medical practitioners in:
1. Assessing patients’ physiologies
2. Diagnosing the concerned diseases
3. Treatment of the concerned diseases
4. Help them in rehabilitating the patients

4. DEPENDENCE ON THE MEDICAL
INSTRUMENTS
• DOCTORS ARE NOW A DAYS ALMOST DEPENDENT ON THE MEDICAL
INSTRUMENTS. THEREFORE, BIOMEDICAL INSTRUMENTS ARE NEEDED TO BE:
• PRECISELY DESIGNED
• ACCURATE IN ASSESSMENTS
• USED FRIENDLY

5. ETHICS IN INSTRUMENTATION
• INFORMED CONSENT
• VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION
• DO NO HARM
• CONFIDENTIALITY
• ANONYMITY
• ONLY ASSESS RELEVANT FEATURES

6. INFORMED CONSENT
• The person participating in the evaluation is fully informed about the evaluation being
conducted.
• Patients need to be made aware of the purpose of the use of instruments and findings
of the diagnosis will be used.
• If there are any potential adverse impacts of their participation and who will have access
to the findings, then the concerned should be fully informed.
• Additional information should also be provided that the patients should not be in trouble
in any way during the use of the instrument.

7. VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION
• Patients whom assessments are required should be free from coercion. Patients should
be to withdraw their consents at any time without negatively impacting on their
involvement in future medical services.
• Other than patients should be allowed to discontinue a program. It is the right of
participants to leave an assessment/program at any time, therefore no pressure should
be placed on those who choose not to continue. explanations are also not required.

8. DO NO HARM
• Harm can be both physical and/or psychological and therefore can be in the form of:
stress, pain, anxiety, diminishing self-esteem or an invasion of privacy.
• It is imperative that the assessment process does not in any way harm (unintended or
otherwise) patients/participants.

9. CONFIDENTIALITY
• Confidentiality means that any identifying assessment/diagnostic information should not
made available to or accessed by anyone, but the doctor/person concerned only.
• Confidentiality also ensures such identifying assessments/information should not be
published in patients’ names or any other identifications.
• There should be no opportunity for patients/participants to be identified even though
their names are not used.

10. Anonymity
• Anonymity is a stricter form of privacy than confidentiality, as the identity of the
patients/participants remains unknown to the public.
• The confidentiality should only be known to the doctor/person concerned.

11. ONLY ASSESS RELEVANT FEATURES
• Only assess those physiologies that are relevant and required strictly.
• Patients/participations should not be opened to unnecessary risk.
• It is important to keep assessments/evaluations as simple as possible and to remain
focused on the intention of the evaluation and what the data gathered will be used for.