Research article summary (published 30 Jul 2008):

Ethics, pandemics, and the duty to treat.

Full Abstract

Numerous grounds have been offered for the view that healthcare workers have a duty to treat, including expressed consent, implied consent, special training, reciprocity (also called the social contract view), and professional oaths and codes. Quite often, however, these grounds are simply asserted without being adequately defended or without the defenses being critically evaluated. This essay aims to help remedy that problem by providing a critical examination of the strengths and weaknesses of each of these five grounds for asserting that healthcare workers have a duty to treat, especially as that duty would arise in the context of an infectious disease pandemic. Ultimately, it argues that none of the defenses is currently sufficient to ground the kind of duty that would be needed in a pandemic. It concludes by sketching some practical recommendations in that regard.

Author information

Author/s: Malm, Heidi (H); May, Thomas (T); Francis, Leslie P (LP); Omer, Saad B (SB); Salmon, Daniel A (DA); Hood, Robert (R);

Affiliation: Department of Philosophy, Loyola University Chicago, 6525 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL 60626, USA. hmalm(-atsign-)luc.edu

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: The American journal of bioethics : AJOB (Am J Bioeth), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Aug; vol 8 (issue 8) : pp 4-19

Dates: Created 2008/09/19; Completed 2008/10/27; Revised 2008/11/21;

PMID: 18802849, status: MEDLINE (last retrieved date: 2/18/2009)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

Comments and Corrections

CommentIn: Am J Bioeth. 2008 Aug;8(8):20-1. (PMID: 18802850)

CommentIn: Am J Bioeth. 2008 Aug;8(8):21-3. (PMID: 18802851)

CommentIn: Am J Bioeth. 2008 Aug;8(8):23-5. (PMID: 18802852)

CommentIn: Am J Bioeth. 2008 Aug;8(8):25-6. (PMID: 18802853)

CommentIn: Am J Bioeth. 2008 Aug;8(8):26-7. (PMID: 18802854)

CommentIn: Am J Bioeth. 2008 Aug;8(8):28-9. (PMID: 18802855)

CommentIn: Am J Bioeth. 2008 Aug;8(8):29-31. (PMID: 18802856)

CommentIn: Am J Bioeth. 2008 Aug;8(8):31-3. (PMID: 18802857)

CommentIn: Am J Bioeth. 2008 Aug;8(8):33-5. (PMID: 18802858)

CommentIn: Am J Bioeth. 2008 Aug;8(8):35-6. (PMID: 18802859)

CommentIn: Am J Bioeth. 2008 Aug;8(8):37-8. (PMID: 18802860)

CommentIn: Am J Bioeth. 2008 Aug;8(8):39-41. (PMID: 18802861)

CommentIn: Am J Bioeth. 2008 Aug;8(8):41-3. (PMID: 18802862)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MeSH Headings (categories) shown below.

American Medical Association Codes of Ethics Communicable Diseases - therapy; transmission Contracts Disaster Planning - trends Disease Outbreaks - ethics Employment - ethics; organization & administration; trends Ethical Theory Ethics, Medical Ethics, Nursing Ethics, Professional Health Manpower - ethics; organization & administration; trends

Health Manpower - ethics; organization & administration; trends Health Personnel - ethics Humans Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional Moral Obligations Motivation Physician-Patient Relations - ethics Physicians - ethics Public Health - ethics Refusal to Treat - ethics Social Responsibility United States

Note: Bold headings indicate primary MeSH headings or qualifiers.

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