Hugo Viciana of Instituto de Estudios Sociales Avanzados (IESA-CSIC).

This project uses a survey of a representative sample to investigate how the Spanish population conceives disagreements around a list of prototypical ethical questions. The project also aims to identify social and cognitive correlations to propose a model for understanding popular attitudes around disagreement in this area. Finally, it will conduct a study with healthcare and bioethics professionals to examine aspects where the reasoning of specialists tends to differ from that of the general population.
 

Beatriz Campillo of Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau.

This project aims to construct and identify the properties of a psychometric questionnaire to evaluate the perception of respect and maintenance of dignity in hospitalized patients.

Published paper

Júlia Martin Badia of the University of Barcelona.

This project aims to construct and publish an innovative play and learning tool in the health setting. This seeks to implement pedagogical approaches in hospitals that consist in humanizing support for hospitalized minors by responding effectively to their biopsychosocial and educational needs before, during and after hospitalization. It is inspired by narrative bioethics and role playing.
 

Rosana Triviño Caballero, of the Institute of Philosophy of Spain's Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), who was awarded a grant for her study: "Comparative study of protocols for accessing the interruption of pregnancy in the European Union (ProtoAccess)."

The purpose of the project is to determine whether the conditions for accessing the interruption of pregnancy (IP) in European Union countries reflect the needs of women who are affected, and respect the classic principles of bioethics (autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence and justice), reinterpreted in the light of feminist theories of care.

The project aims to conduct a comparative analysis of differences between practice and legislation in the member states of the European Union, possible reasons for this, and the potential impact of such requirements on access to IP. It also seeks to offer a framework protocol designed to adjust the conditions of access, in cases where this could be necessary.

To Elena Lauroba of the University of Barcelona for the project: "The legal protection of intersex people: reconsidering the (arbitrary?) assignation of gender from a legal perspective" [La protección jurídica de las personas intersexuales: repensar desde el derecho las asignaciones (¿arbitrarias?) de género].

The author submitted a proposal to research the legal situation of intersex people – those who, in biological terms, cannot be unequivocally identified as belonging to one or other gender (male or female). Her aim is to analyze the level of protection afforded to their rights, both with regard to human rights and in terms of private law (name, privacy, marriage, etc.). She also aims to identify specific initiatives and actions in the public policy sphere. 

To Sonia Jimeno Ramírez of the University of Barcelona for the project: "Biotechnological patents: at the limits of legality" [Las patentes biotecnológicas: en los límites de la legalidad].

This research project seeks to analyze the ethical limits on industrial and intellectual property, particularly with regard to biotechnological patents or "patents on life". The author will explore their social, ecological and health impact, in order to evaluate both the legality and the legitimacy of an issue that has been controversial both within the scientific and academic community and within civil society as a whole.

To Loreto María García Moyano of the University of Zaragoza for the project: "Constructing a tool to quantify professional commitment in nursing" [Constructo de un instrumento para cuantificar el compromiso profesional en enfermería]. 

The aim of this study is to construct a valid, reliable instrument to quantify the commitment of nursing professionals in Spain. Care is what defines the nursing profession. However, at present this is considered only from a technical perspective, and the ethical dimension – consisting of elements such as accompaniment, empathy and confidentiality – is ignored. Quantifying professional responsibility or commitment in nursing would help to identify the factors that underpin it, and would also be useful as a means of preventing burnout.  

To Lydia Feito Grande and Tomás Domingo Moratalla of the Complutense University in Madrid for the project: "Narrative bioethics: applying the model in the clinical and educational setting" [Bioética narrativa: aplicación del modelo en el ámbito clínico y educativo].

The authors argue that narrative bioethics provides the necessary counterpoint to a rationalist ethics that focuses on decisions and abstract principles, and that it does so on the basis of attending to the experiences of those affected. This study aims to develop the practical application of the narrative bioethics model described in the book Bioética Narrativa (Escolar and Mayo, 2013), in a second book and also through the development of training materials (worksheets, exercise books, DVDS etc.), by bringing together resources that would otherwise be difficult for trainers to access, and by organizing events to promote the sharing of experiences and discussion of the issues. 

To the team led by Maite Cruz Piqueras of the Andalucian School of Public Health for the project: "Non-vaccination as a meeting point: analyzing discourse to build bridges" [La no vacunación como punto de encuentro: analizando discursos para tender puentes].

This study seeks to highlight the importance of and the reasons behind the argument against vaccination in children, which is often given far less coverage in the media than the countervailing arguments in favour. The researchers want to find points of dialogue and understanding between the two positions, starting from the exploration of the viewpoints of parents and health professionals who are opposed to vaccination, and of children who have not been vaccinated. As a result, the authors aim to develop a document with recommendations for institutions and health professionals, and to generate analysis and debate of the issue.

Research group: Maite Cruz Piqueras (Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública), Joaquín Hortal Carmona (Hospital de Alta Resolución de Guadix), Javier Padilla Bernáldez (Hospital Universitario Virgen de Valme) and Ainhoa Rodríguez de Cortázar (Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública).

Jordi Cabòs Teixidó of the Universitat de Barcelona for the project: "Epidemiologia de la Resiliència" (Epidemiology of Resilience).

This research project offers an ethical reflection in relation to the creation of meaning when faced with difficult situations. The study aims to examine the role of organizations and healthcare workers when helping to create a meaning and overcome the circumstances that millions of citizens are currently suffering due to the devastating effect of the economic crisis.