Ethical concerns for anesthesiologists during an Ebola threat

Klar, Gregory; Funk, Duane J.

doi:10.1007/s12630-015-0416-x

Cited by 6 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Breaking medical privacy by disclosing the identity of sick patients is known to be discordant with the ethical principles of medical practice; however, during this crisis, the majority of physicians were in favor of revealing the identity of patients who refuse to adhere to strict recommendations in order to protect their families and communities. This is indeed is in accordance with ethical guidelines and laws that allow and require us to marginalize the privacy of patients for the greater good of the population (7,16).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

“…During a pandemic, two ethical concerns are debated. On the one hand, ethical principles of public health and preventive medicine guide government and health authorities to implement adequate and e cient measures in order to ensure an optimal protection of their society and healthcare professionals (7). On the other hand, the four ethical principles of medical practice (autonomy, bene cence, non-male cence, and justice) originally proposed by Beauchamp and Childress guide clinicians to take morally sound decisions (8,9).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, in the absence of randomized control trials and clear-cut evidence, these drugs are usually used as a "last resort" or in the context of clinical trials. Therefore, bene cence and non-male cence are two overlapping principles that can be argued from different angles (7,15).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lebanese Doctors Facing the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: Practical and Ethical Issues

Gebara

Dabar

Eid

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background In the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of health care providers is essential to maintain the functioning of the health care system. Physicians accept a primary ethical duty to place the well-being and health of their patients above their own welfares. However, does the duty to patient well-being have any limit? Two ethical concerns are debated: public health’s ethical principles and medical ethics values. We aimed in this study to assess Lebanese physicians’ attitudes, practice and ethical considerations when treating their patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods It’s a cross-sectional study conducted in March 2019 among a random sample of Lebanese physicians, using a questionnaire based mainly on a five-point Likert numerical scale to make the answers more reliable and valid. The questionnaire focused on the medical practice during the pandemic and the ethical considerations in public health and in medical practice. It also evaluates the physicians’ point of view toward the management of the pandemic in Lebanon. Results A total of 318 physicians responded, with a mean age of 40 years. Five doctors of the total were affected by the COVID-19 infection (1.6%). 51.4% of medical specialists considered themselves to be at a higher risk of contracting the infection, while 52.3% of surgeons stated that they were at a lower risk. Doctors expressed a neutral position regarding the prioritization of patients during treatment and the disconnection of patients with poor prognosis from ventilators to treat other patients. The majority of doctors disagreed regarding the respect of the patient’s autonomy in refusing COVID-19 treatment with a mean score of 1.7/5. Finally, doctors expressed a neutral opinion regarding the ability of the country to manage such a pandemic with a mean score of 3.1/5. Conclusion Although physicians recognize that they are at high risk of contracting COVID-19, they assume their responsibilities and their duty to treat, and they were neutral against any prioritization in treatment approach. However, applying the four ethical principles (autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice) may become challenging. Hence, more medical and ethical recommendations are required to guide physicians during this pandemic.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lebanese Doctors Facing the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: Practical and Ethical Issues

Gebara

Dabar

Eid

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Further difficulty arises when the obligatory medical duty clashes with the safety of HCP [6]. The anaesthesiologists must be competent in utilization of available medical resources to benefit the community health yet avoiding work hazards involving HCP.…”

Section: Dear Editor-in-chiefmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Central to delivery of this role is the immense assistance from allied health professionals (AHP). Whenever there is a disease outbreak, medical resources will be reshuffled and shifted in a manner to manage and curb the spread of the disease [6]. This implies increasing critical care beds or opening additional, dedicated outbreak wards.…”

Section: Dear Editor-in-chiefmentioning

confidence: 99%