title: Duty to care.
abstract: The potential threat of a pandemic influenza outbreak has placed emergency preparedness in the health care spotlight. Hospitals are increasingly gearing up readiness plans in preparation. Most of these plans are related to the implementation of protocols and stockpiling of supplies, medications, and equipment. These plans are dependent on staff for implementation, but will nurses' duty to care for patients outweigh their competing obligations to their families and the risk of their own exposure?
authors.affiliation: Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
authors.forename: Dale
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pfrimmer
mesh_terms: D032781:Codes of Ethics; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000451:nursing*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000451:nursing; D028681:Moral Obligations; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000941:ethics*; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000451:nursing; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States