Ethical triage and scarce resource allocation during public health emergencies: tenets and procedures.
Public health emergencies may result in mass casualties and a surge in demand for hospital-based care. Healthcare standards may need to be altered to respond to an imbalance between demands for care and resources. Clinical decisions that involve triage and scarce resource allocation may present unique ethical challenges. To address these challenges, the authors detailed tenets and procedures to guide triage and scarce resource allocation during public health emergencies. The authors propose health care organizations deploy a Triage and Scarce Resource Allocation Team to over-see and guide ethically challenging clinical decision-making during a crisis period. The authors' goal is to help healthcare organizations and clinicians balance public health responsibilities and their duty to individual patients during emergencies in as equitable and humane a manner as possible.
Kuschner
Ware G
WG
The US Department of Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
Pollard
John B
JB
Ezeji-Okoye
Stephen C
SC
D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D004190:Disasters; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000941:ethics / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D006295:Health Resources / Q000941:ethics / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D006801:Humans; D011635:Public Health Administration / Q000941:ethics*; D040841:Resource Allocation / Q000941:ethics; D012935:Social Justice; D014218:Triage / Q000941:ethics*; D014481:United States