COVID-19 and beyond: the ethical challenges of resetting health services during and after public health emergencies

Baines, Paul; Draper, Heather; Chiumento, Anna; Fovargue, Sara; Frith, Lucy

doi:10.1136/medethics-2020-106965

Cited by 19 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Ethical dilemmas [e.g., (24,25)] and moral injury [e.g., (26,27)] are other issues that healthcare workers are faced with while providing care within challenging healthcare contexts. Moral injury is defined as the psychological distress that results from actions, or their absence, that violate someone's moral or ethical code (28).…”

Section: Stress Burnout and Mental Health Challenges Among Healthcare Workersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prioritizing the Mental Health and Well-Being of Healthcare Workers: An Urgent Global Public Health Priority

Søvold¹,

Naslund

Kousoulis

et al. 2021

Front. Public Health

443

274

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The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on health systems in most countries, and in particular, on the mental health and well-being of health workers on the frontlines of pandemic response efforts. The purpose of this article is to provide an evidence-based overview of the adverse mental health impacts on healthcare workers during times of crisis and other challenging working conditions and to highlight the importance of prioritizing and protecting the mental health and well-being of the healthcare workforce, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. First, we provide a broad overview of the elevated risk of stress, burnout, moral injury, depression, trauma, and other mental health challenges among healthcare workers. Second, we consider how public health emergencies exacerbate these concerns, as reflected in emerging research on the negative mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers. Further, we consider potential approaches for overcoming these threats to mental health by exploring the value of practicing self-care strategies, and implementing evidence based interventions and organizational measures to help protect and support the mental health and well-being of the healthcare workforce. Lastly, we highlight systemic changes to empower healthcare workers and protect their mental health and well-being in the long run, and propose policy recommendations to guide healthcare leaders and health systems in this endeavor. This paper acknowledges the stressors, burdens, and psychological needs of the healthcare workforce across health systems and disciplines, and calls for renewed efforts to mitigate these challenges among those working on the frontlines during public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Section: Stress Burnout and Mental Health Challenges Among Healthcare Workersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prioritizing the Mental Health and Well-Being of Healthcare Workers: An Urgent Global Public Health Priority

Søvold¹,

Naslund

Kousoulis

et al. 2021

Front. Public Health

443

274

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…These contingency measures are designed to ensure continuity of an organization's operations to support its capacity to respond to another crisis phase, or to move into the recovery phase. As Alfandre et al, and we have noted (Baines et al 2020), discussions of the ethical issues raised by crisis and response phases have been extensive, whilst less attention has been paid to the contingency and reset phases of a pandemic, and Alfandre et al's paper is a welcome addition to the literature.…”

Section: Reset and Contingency Phases Of Pandemicsmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…In light of these tensions between patient-centered care, underpinned by clinical ethics, and public health concerns, underpinned by public health ethics, different ethical principles and balancing strategies are needed when care is neither "crisis light" nor "business as usual." "Pandemics-and public health emergencies more generally-reinforce approaches to ethics that emphasize or derive from the interests of communities, rather than those grounded in the claims of the autonomous individual" (Baines et al 2020). Our rapid review of ethical values guiding decision-making in resetting non-COVID-19 pediatric surgery and maternity services in the NHS (Chiumento et al 2021) found that the values of relationality and equity came to the fore in the reset period.…”

Section: Balancing Principlesmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…"We are at a juncture where the challenges brought on by the response to Covid-19 are forcing the reevaluation of traditional clinical ethical approaches. The theoretical basis is shifting to give greater weight to the interests of the community as a whole," and there is a need for the "inclusion of values such as solidarity and reciprocity in decision-making at both individual and organizational levels" (Baines et al 2020). Consequently, patient-centered care needs to incorporate wider community concerns and cannot-in isolation-be seen as the overriding value, certainly not during a pandemic, but arguably not during "business as usual" either.…”

Section: Balancing Principlesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Neither ‘Crisis Light’ nor ‘Business as Usual’: Considering the Distinctive Ethical Issues Raised by the Contingency and Reset Phases of a Pandemic

Frith

Draper

Fovargue

et al. 2021

The American Journal of Bioethics

Self Cite

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“…This indicates that in the post-pandemic era, ethical concerns have been prominent, especially at the time of implementing AI-driven decisions. 54 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Enigmatic COVID-19 Vulnerabilities and the Invaluable Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Lainjo¹

2021

JMDH

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The objective of the study is to conduct an exploratory review of the Covid-19 pandemic by focusing on the theme of Covid-19 pandemic morbidity and mortality, considering the dynamics of artificial intelligence and quality of life (QOL). The methods used in this research paper include a review of literature, anecdotal evidence, and reports on the morbidity of COVID-19, including the scope of its devastating effects in different countries such as the US, Africa, UK, China, and Brazil, among others. The findings of this study suggested that the devastating effects of the coronavirus are felt across different vulnerable populations. These include the elderly, front-line workers, marginalized communities, visible minorities, and more. The challenge in Africa is especially daunting because of inadequate infrastructure, and financial and human resources, among others. Besides, AI technology is being successfully used by scientists to enhance the development process of vaccines and drugs. However, its usage in other stages of the pandemic has not been adequately explored. Ultimately, it has been concluded that the effects of the Covid-19 are producing unprecedented and catastrophic outcomes in many countries. With a few exceptions, the common and current intervention approach is driven by many factors, including the compilation of relevant reliable and compelling data sets. On a positive note, the compelling trailblazing and catalytic contributions of AI towards the rapid discovery of COVID-19 vaccines are a good indication of future technological innovations and their effectiveness.

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COVID-19 and beyond: the ethical challenges of resetting health services during and after public health emergencies

Cited by 19 publications

References 9 publications

Prioritizing the Mental Health and Well-Being of Healthcare Workers: An Urgent Global Public Health Priority

Prioritizing the Mental Health and Well-Being of Healthcare Workers: An Urgent Global Public Health Priority

Neither ‘Crisis Light’ nor ‘Business as Usual’: Considering the Distinctive Ethical Issues Raised by the Contingency and Reset Phases of a Pandemic

The Enigmatic COVID-19 Vulnerabilities and the Invaluable Artificial Intelligence (AI)

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