Virulent epidemics and scope of healthcare workers' duty of care

The phrase "duty of care" is, at best, too vague and, at worst, ethically dangerous. The nature and scope of the duty need to be determined, and conflicting duties must be recognized and acknowledged. Duty of care is neither fixed nor absolute but heavily dependent on context. The normal r...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Emerging infectious diseases 2006-08, Vol.12 (8), p.1238-1241
Main Author: Sokol, Daniel K
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
avian influenza
bioethics
Care and treatment
Communicable diseases
Communicable Diseases - epidemiology
Communicable Diseases - therapy
Disease Outbreaks
duty of care
Epidemics
Ethics, Professional
Health Personnel - ethics
Humans
Influenza, Human - epidemiology
Influenza, Human - therapy
Medical personnel
Moral Obligations
Policy Review
Practice
SARS
United States
Virulence
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Summary:The phrase "duty of care" is, at best, too vague and, at worst, ethically dangerous. The nature and scope of the duty need to be determined, and conflicting duties must be recognized and acknowledged. Duty of care is neither fixed nor absolute but heavily dependent on context. The normal risk level of the working environment, the healthcare worker's specialty, the likely harm and benefits of treatment, and the competing obligations deriving from the worker's multiple roles will all influence the limits of the duty of care. As experts anticipate the arrival of an avian influenza pandemic in humans, discussion of this matter is urgently needed.
ISSN:1080-6040
1080-6059
DOI:10.3201/eid1208.060360