Intensive and pharmacological care in times of COVID-19: A "special ethics" for emergency?

BMC Medical Ethics
Enrico MarinelliSimona Zaami

Abstract

The Authors have laid out an analysis of Italian COVID-19 confirmed data and fatality rates, pointing out how a dearth of health care resources in northern regions has resulted in hard, ethically challenging decisions in terms of granting patient access to intensive care units (ICU). Having to make such decisions certainly entails substantial difficulties, and that has led many health care professional to seek ethical guidance. The Italian Society of Anesthesia, Analgesia, Resuscitation and Intensive Care (SIAARTI) has attempted to meet that growing need by a set of recommendations, applying "clinical soundness" as a beacon standard; that approach tends to prioritize patients with higher life expectancy, which could be characterized as a "moderately utilitarian" approach. Yet, such a selection has engendered daunting ethical quandaries. The authors believe it can only be warranted and acceptable if rooted in a transparent decision-making process and verifiable, reviewed criteria. Moreover, the authors have stressed how clinical experimentation in a pandemic setting is a subtext of great interest from an ethical perspective. In Italy, no drug therapy and trials were undertaken for COVID-19 patients for a rather long period of ti...Continue Reading

References

Feb 21, 2019·The New England Journal of Medicine·Lisa Rosenbaum
Mar 18, 2020·Lancet·Andrea Remuzzi, Giuseppe Remuzzi
Mar 24, 2020·JAMA : the Journal of the American Medical Association·Graziano OnderSilvio Brusaferro
Apr 12, 2020·Journal of Medical Ethics·Amy SolnicaAlan Jotkowitz
May 13, 2020·Journal of Medical Ethics·Kathleen LiddellAndrew Sagar

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