BIOETHICAL PRINCIPLES AVAILABLE IN THERAPEUTIC COMMUNICATION THROUGH SMS

There is a new concept applicable in health communication: electronic health communication, or simply: e-health communication. The usage of e-health technologies in modern and psychological practice generates a series of bioethical issues and methodological challenges never encountered before. This article sets as main objective the identification of the bioethical aspects involved in the early forms of telemedicine and telepsychology, namely the ones obtained through the cell phone. The focus will be on SMS (short message service) – affordable and interactive application – that provides real interactions among patients and healthcare providers, helping to improve access to the medical and psychological services for remote rural communities and marginal population. In general, the studies testing the SMS efficiency in practice have positive feedback, covering several medical and psychological specialties (diabetes, nutrition diseases, cardiology, contagious diseases, ENT, obstetrics – gynecology, psychiatry, clinical psychology, psychotherapy, educational counselling, and others). A rigorous and systematic analysis of the bioethical issues involved (benefits, risks, autonomy, informed contentment, non-discrimination) can clarify some of the controversies that arise in this revolutionary field. In the same time, such an analysis is likely to provide procedural openings, and technical and legal actions in telemedicine and telepsychology. The article also examines the possibility that these new practices would be introduced in Romania, in the interests of patients and of public health politics. There are auspicious premises as at the end of the year 2012 were, according to official statistics, 25.5 millions of cell phones users, who sent 909 million of SMS, out of 10.1 millions accessing the internet from their cell phones.