Dialogue and Digital Care: Ethics and Distance in Clinical Communication

This thesis examines the ethical dimensions of digital communication in healthcare, exploring how digital technologies such as telehealth and artificial intelligence reshape relationships between clinicians and patients. It argues that while digital systems promise efficiency and accessibility, they also risk eroding other important values. Drawing on philosophical frameworks the study critiques the technological standardisation of care and proposes a synthesis between the transactional gains and relational deficiencies. It concludes that therapeutic dialogue requires preserving the interpersonal and moral depth of clinical encounters even within technologically mediated environments.