COVID-19 and ethical preparedness?

Summary Mankind has to prepare for a pandemic with respect to medical and practical aspects, but also with respect to ethical issues. There are various ethical guidelines for managing infectious disease outbreaks, but they do not apply to the specific aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, since they wer...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift Vol. 132; no. 13-14; pp. 400 - 402
Main Author: Druml, Christiane
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Vienna Springer Vienna 01.07.2020
Subjects:
Betacoronavirus
Civil Defense - ethics
Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology
COVID-19
Endocrinology
Gastroenterology
Human Rights
Humans
Internal Medicine
Main Topic
Mass Media
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Pandemics - ethics
Pneumology/Respiratory System
Pneumonia, Viral - epidemiology
Resource Allocation - ethics
SARS-CoV-2
Truth Disclosure
COVID-19
Ethics
Pandemic
Infectious diseases
Fundamental human rights
ISSN:0043-5325, 1613-7671, 1613-7671
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Summary Mankind has to prepare for a pandemic with respect to medical and practical aspects, but also with respect to ethical issues. There are various ethical guidelines for managing infectious disease outbreaks, but they do not apply to the specific aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, since they were formulated after the different kinds of outbreaks of avian influenza and Ebola. Today we are confronted with completely new issues endangering our fundamental human rights. As COVID-19 is spreading all over the world, we are in a desperate situation to find treatment solutions; however, despite the urgency, scientific rules have to be applied as bad science is unethical since it might be harmful for patients. Fake news and alternative facts might not be easily recognized and are also threatening scientific values. Pandemics might be leading to a meltdown of the health system if no measures are being taken constraining fundamental human rights. Tracking of persons is violating human rights as well if not accepted on a voluntary basis. A failure to have safeguards for times of crisis leads to a scarcity of medicinal products and goods resulting in a nationalistic approach and ignorance of international solidarity. And last but not least selective measures and triage in intensive care have to be taught to young physicians and nursing staff in medical schools in order to be prepared in times of an infectious disease outbreak and scarcity of resources.
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ISSN:0043-5325
1613-7671
1613-7671
DOI:10.1007/s00508-020-01709-7