The notion that certain individuals, particularly healthcare workers, should receive priority access to limited resources because of 1) their instrumental value to society and 2) our urgent need to return them to the workforce so that they can continue treating patients. Prioritization also reduces voluntary absenteeism. Opponents argue this principle is difficult to implement and can devolve into discrimination.


Syracuse University

The principles of medical ethics are:
- Autonomy
- Beneficence/non-maleficence
- Justice
- Fair innings
- Instrumental value

Medical Ethics in Healthcare Systems Response to COVID-19

Kirkpatrick, J. N., Hull, S. C., Fedson, S., Mullen, B., & Goodlin, S. J. (2020). Scarce-Resource Allocation and Patient Triage During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 76(1), 85-92. 
doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2020.05.006
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0735109720352232?via%3Dihub

Scarce-Resource Allocation and Patient Triage During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The principles that physicians act in the best interest of and avoid causing net harm to their patients. Since the scarcity of resources in a pandemic crisis raises conflict between clinicians’ commitment to individual patients and their duty to promote and protect public health, a triage team separate from the bedside physicians must triage patients.

Beneficence/non-maleficence and pandemic

The principle that a patient's access to scarce resources is determined by the urgency of the patient's need and their likelihood of benefiting from treatment, regardless of age, sex or gender identity, race or ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, religion, and assumed VIP status. During a pandemic, resource allocation may raise issues of discrimination based on age or pre-existing conditions.

Justice and pandemic

The principle that, when resources are limited, the young should be prioritized over the elderly because 1) all people have the right to experience all life stages and 2) advanced age is correlated with decreased physical resilience, so to achieve maximization of life-years saved, we must consider age in triage criteria. Some argue that fair innings leads to age discrimination.


Fair innings and pandemic

Instrumental value and pandemic

With the pandemic occurring, medical necessities such as ventilators and medicine become very scarce. They are experiencing critical shortages of tools. The healthcare workers have to decide who to  administer the euqpiment and medication to. They have to decide who needs it most without risking the lives of other workers and patients. They also have to be ready if another wave occurs. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1936949/

Can the Health-Care System Meet the Challenge of Pandemic Flu? Planning, Ethical, and Workforce Considerations

Usually, clinicians cannot withhold or withdraw medically necessary treatment without the patient's (or surrogate's) consent, but in pandemic crises, healthcare systems supersede autonomy to maximize public health through allocation and rationing of resources.


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