The Ethics of Creating a Resource Allocation Strategy During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Pediatrics
; 146(1)2020 07.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-203500
ABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of medicine and raises numerous moral dilemmas for clinicians. Foremost of these quandaries is how to delineate and implement crisis standards of care and, specifically, how to consider how health care resources should be distributed in times of shortage. We review basic principles of disaster planning and resource stewardship with ethical relevance for this and future public health crises, explore the role of illness severity scoring systems and their limitations and potential contribution to health disparities, and consider the role for exceptionally resource-intensive interventions. We also review the philosophical and practical underpinnings of crisis standards of care and describe historical approaches to scarce resource allocation to offer analysis and guidance for pediatric clinicians. Particular attention is given to the impact on children of this endeavor. Although few children have required hospitalization for symptomatic infection, children nonetheless have the potential to be profoundly affected by the strain on the health care system imposed by the pandemic and should be considered prospectively in resource allocation frameworks.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pediatrics
/
Resource Allocation
/
Pandemics
/
Betacoronavirus
Type of study:
Prognostic study
Limits:
Child
/
Humans
Language:
English
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS