Bioethics and self-isolation : what about low-resource settings?

Healthcare workers have both an obligation to their individual patients and a long-recognised public health responsibility. In the context of infectious disease, such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, this duty may include the use of quarantine and isolation to reduce the transmis...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:South African medical journal 2020-05, Vol.110 (5), p.350-352
Main Authors: Lindeque, Gerhard, Adam, Sumaiya, Soma-Pillay, Priya
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bioethics
Communicable diseases
Coronavirus infections
Coronaviruses
Disease transmission
Diseases
Ethical aspects
Isolation
Medical personnel
Physicians
Public health
Public health movements
Quarantine
Setting (Literature)
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Healthcare workers have both an obligation to their individual patients and a long-recognised public health responsibility. In the context of infectious disease, such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, this duty may include the use of quarantine and isolation to reduce the transmission of disease to protect the health of the public. Furthermore, doctors have a responsibility to protect their own health to ensure that they are able to provide necessary care. These responsibilities may lead to conflict between patients’ rights of self-determination and doctors’ duty to advocate for the best interests of individual patients and to provide care in emergencies.
ISSN:0256-9574
2078-5135
DOI:10.7196/SAMJ.2020.v110i5.14733