A citizen-centred approach to public engagement on the ethical, legal and societal issues of health technologies.

Abstract

Public engagement in health technologies continuously expands thanks to increased recognition and financial support. Yet, the lack of a shared definition and standards enables practitioners to conduct initiatives in ways that prioritise their self-interests over the empowerment of citizens. Experts and policymakers generally design engagement initiatives following rigid protocols to fit their agenda, limiting the influence of citizens upstream. In reaction to this and as an attempt to disambiguate public engagement from an ethical perspective, we investigate its intrinsic value. Starting from the assumption that public engagement must primarily empower citizens and not those who already have enough power to make their voices heard, we argue that the more the engagement process puts citizens at the centre, the more the engagement practice becomes valuable regardless of the methods used. To make the citizen-centred approach a reality, we suggest ethical principles that practitioners could apply across the spectrum of engagement.