Evaluation of the Principles of Personalist Bioethics in Face Transplantation: A Qualitative Approach

Abstract

The emergence of new therapies has generated a debate about their ethical, medical, and social implications. In this context, ontological personalism has become important in bioethics, because it focuses on safeguarding the human dignity and promoting integral well-being. Its guiding principles are the defense of physical life, the justification of all therapeutic interventions, the demand for the principle of consent, and the consideration of social and justice implications in the allocation of resources. The study was conducted to understand the influence of these principles on the professional practice of healthcare personnel working in transplants. An ethical evaluation guide for interventions on the human body - adapted with the principles of personalist bioethics - was applied both in person and online. Seven experts participated (57% men, average age of 46 years) and the results were analyzed through content and frequency analysis. The results showed that face transplant can improve the recipient's quality of life but is limited by economic costs. Additionally, face transplants comply with the principles of defense of physical human life, of therapeutic benefit, of freedom and responsibility, and of sociability and subsidiarity. Ultimately, the study concludes that face transplants are an optimal and necessary technique for the progress of medicine, but and ethical evaluation is essential to harmonize with scientific and technological advances.