Can precision medicine be personal; Can personalized medicine be precise?

People have always sought medical care that is tailored to every  individual patient. Alongside with the historical development of  institutions of care, the vision of personal and 'holistic' care  persisted. Patient-centred medicine, interpersonal communication and  shared decision making have become central to medical practice and  services.

This evolving vision of 'personalized medicine' is in  the forefront of medicine, creating debates among ethicists,  philosophers and sociologists of medicine about the nature of disease  and the definition of wellness, the impact on the daily life of  patients, as well as its implications on low-income countries. Is  increased 'precision' also an improvement on the personal aspects of  care or erosion of privacy? Do 'precise' and 'personalized' approach  marginalize public health, and can this care be personalized without  attention to culture, economy and society?

The book provides a  multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary discussion of the ethos and  ethics of precision/personal medicine, involving scientists who have  shaped the field, in dialogue with ethicists, social scientists and  philosophers of science. The contributing scholars come from all over  the world and from different cultural backgrounds providing reflective  perspectives of history of ideas, critical theory and technology  assessment, together with the actual work done by pioneers in the field.  It explores issues such as global justice, gender, public health,  pharmaceutical industry, international law and religion, and explores  themes discussed in relation to personalized medicine such as new-born  screening and disorders of consciousness.

This book will be of  interest to academicians in bioethics, history of medicine, social  sciences of medicine as well as general educated readers.