Ethical Principles in Personal Protective Equipment Inventory Management Decisions and Partnerships Across State Lines During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Public Health Rep
; 137(2): 208-212, 2022.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1582750
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented strain on the personal protective equipment (PPE) supply chain. Given the dearth of PPE and consequences for transmission, GetMePPE Chicago (GMPC) developed a PPE allocation framework and system, distributing 886 900 units to 274 institutions from March 2020 to July 2021 to address PPE needs. As the pandemic evolved, GMPC made difficult decisions about (1) building reserve inventory (to balance present and future, potentially higher clinical acuity, needs), (2) donating to other states/out-of-state organizations, and (3) receiving donations from other states. In this case study, we detail both GMPC's experience in making these decisions and the ethical frameworks that guided these decisions. We also reflect on lessons learned and suggest which values may have been in conflict (eg, maximizing benefits vs duty to mission, defined in the context of PPE allocation) in each circumstance, which values were prioritized, and when that prioritization would change. Such guidance can promote a values-based approach to key issues concerning distribution of PPE and other scarce medical resources in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and related future pandemics.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Organizational Case Studies
/
Resource Allocation
/
Personal Protective Equipment
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Case report
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
North America
Language:
English
Journal:
Public Health Rep
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
00333549211058734
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