Ethical considerations for emergency care providers during pandemic influenza--ready or not...
When an infectious pandemic occurs in the United States, emergency care providers (ECPs) will be on the frontlines caring for infected, potentially infected, and non-infected patients. Logistically, the current emergency care system is not ready for a pandemic, but are the providers ethically ready? Some of the most difficult and challenging issues that will be raised during a pandemic will be ethical in nature. An ECP likely will be confronted with ethical values and value conflicts underlying restriction of liberty, duty to care, and resource allocation. This report summarizes the ethical concerns and challenges that ECPs face during an infectious pandemic, and raises ethical questions that may arise related to the role of an ECP as a healthcare provider and stakeholder.
Pena
Margarita E
ME
St. John Hospital and Medical Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, 22101 Moross Road, Detroit, Michigan 48236, USA. margarita.pena@stjohn.org
Irvin
Charlene B
CB
Takla
Robert B
RB
D004189:Disaster Planning; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004634:Emergency Medical Technicians / Q000941:ethics*; D006801:Humans; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology*; D028681:Moral Obligations; D040841:Resource Allocation; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology