Lives on the line? Ethics and practicalities of duty of care in pandemics and disasters

• Published in: The European respiratory journal Vol. 34; no. 2; pp. 303 - 309
• Main Authors: Simonds, A. K, Sokol, D. K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Leeds Eur Respiratory Soc 01.08.2009; Maney
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Decision Making - ethics; Disasters; Disease Outbreaks; Emergencies; Emergency Medical Services - ethics; Ethics, Medical; Health Personnel - ethics; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infectious diseases; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype - metabolism; Influenza, Human - therapy; Medical sciences; Occupational Exposure; Pneumology; Pulmonary Medicine - ethics; Refusal to Treat - ethics; Risk; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - therapy; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the respiratory system and ent viral diseases; medical disasters; swine influenza; Disaster; Care; Infection; Avian influenza; Medicine; pandemic influenza; Ethics; Vertebrata; Mammalia; duty of care; Swine; Viral disease; Artiodactyla; Ungulata; Pneumology
• ISSN: 0903-1936; 1399-3003
• DOI: 10.1183/09031936.00041609

Pandemics and acute emergencies raise pressing medical, ethical and organisational challenges. These include global governance, priority setting, triaging of patients, allocation of scarce resources and restricting individual liberty in the interests of public health. We will focus particularly on an issue of direct relevance to all respiratory team members, i.e. what is the duty of the healthcare worker to continue working in the face of personal risk, and draw lessons from guidelines, ethical considerations, past pandemics and evolving experience with H1N1 swine influenza.