A facilitated workshop method in which the people affected by a new technology map its effects and values together and agree on concrete actions for the technology, its setting and its users.
| Full name | Aanpak Begeleidingsethiek (Guidance Ethics Approach) |
| Website | https:// |
| Developed by | ECP | Platform voor de InformatieSamenleving, Peter-Paul Verbeek, Daniël Tijink (2019) |
| Type | Participatory method: Moderated dialogue workshop with free manuals |
| Lifecycle phase | Design, Deployment |
| FUTURE-AI | General recommendations, Usability |
| For | Healthcare professionals, Policy makers and managers, Patients and communities, AI developers |
| Time needed | 3-4 hour workshop, plus about 6 weeks of preparation |
| Facilitation | Facilitator required |
| Skills needed | Moderators need a good grasp of the approach; ECP offers moderator training |
| Cost | Free |
| Languages | Dutch, English |
| Maturity | Established |
| Licence | CC-BY-SA-4.0 (approach, per the website); the 2019 manual PDF is marked © ECP |
What it is¶
Instead of asking whether a technology is acceptable, this approach asks how you can guide its use well. A workshop runs in three phases: you describe the technology in its concrete context, the participants name the actors, the effects they expect and the values at stake, and the group then formulates options for action on the technology itself, its environment and its users. A moderator and co-moderator lead the session, and the published manuals cover preparation, running the workshop and follow-up.
In healthcare¶
The Dutch Ministry of Health (VWS) asked ECP to test the approach for AI in care. After pilots at LUMC, Trimbos Institute and SIZA, ECP published a dedicated manual for AI in healthcare, and the developers report use by more than 100 care organisations.
Where to use it in The ELSA Way¶
Stakeholder engagement › When to engage: Because each workshop is about a concrete technology in a concrete setting, you can repeat it at different lifecycle stages to bring affected people in before key decisions are fixed.
Integration into clinical workflows › Identifying disruption risks: The workshop asks staff, patients and managers how the AI changes their daily work and produces actions for the workflow, training and organisation around the tool.
References¶
Verbeek PP, Tijink D. Aanpak begeleidingsethiek: een dialoog over technologie met handelingsperspectief. Den Haag: ECP | Platform voor de InformatieSamenleving; 2019. https://
ecp .nl /wp -content /uploads /2019 /11 /Aanpak -begeleidingsethiek .pdf Verbeek PP, Tijink D. Guidance ethics approach: an ethical dialogue about technology with perspective on actions. The Hague: ECP | Platform voor de InformatieSamenleving; 2020. https://
ecp .nl /wp -content /uploads /2020 /11 /Guidance -ethics -approach .pdf Tijink D, de Jongste A. Handleiding aanpak begeleidingsethiek voor AI in de zorg. Den Haag: ECP, commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. https://
ecp .nl /wp -content /uploads /2022 /04 /HandleidingAanpakbegeleidingsethiekvoorAIindezorg .pdf
Related tools¶
Value Sensitive Design: A design approach, with ready-made methods and card decks, for identifying the people and human values a technology affects and building those values into the design from the start.
Moral Medtech: A cooperative serious game in which patients, clinicians, developers and regulators agree which values a medical AI tool must protect and turn them into design requirements.
IAMA: A structured discussion guide that helps a public organisation decide whether and how to use an algorithm, with a step-by-step check of its effects on fundamental rights.
Also listed in: RAAIT toolbox.