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Ethical Considerations for Emergency Care Providers during Pandemic Influenza–Ready or Not…

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2012

Margarita E. Pena ,
Charlene B. Irvin  and
Robert B. Takla
Margarita E. Pena*
Affiliation:
St. John Hospital and Medical Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA Wayne State University School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA
Charlene B. Irvin
Affiliation:
St. John Hospital and Medical Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA Wayne State University School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA
Robert B. Takla
Affiliation:
St. John Hospital and Medical Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA Wayne State University School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA
*
Department of Emergency Medicine22101 Moross RoadDetroit, Michigan 48236USA E-mail: margarita.pena@stjohn.org
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Abstract

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.

Keywords

avian influenzaduty to careemergency care provider, ethicshealthcare providerinfectious pandemicresource allocationrestriction of liberty
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 24 , Issue 2 , April 2009 , pp. 115 - 119
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2009

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