When patients refuse COVID-19 testing, quarantine, and social distancing in inpatient psychiatry: clinical and ethical challenges.

Russ, Mark J; Sisti, Dominic; Wilner, Philip J

Russ, Mark J; Sisti, Dominic; Wilner, Philip J.

Russ MJ; Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
Sisti D; Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA sistid@upenn.edu.
Wilner PJ; Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA.

J Med Ethics ; 46(9): 579-580, 2020 09.

Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-640567

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced new ethical challenges in the care of patients with serious psychiatric illness who require inpatient treatment and who may have beeen exposed to COVID-19 or have mild to moderate COVID-19 but refuse testing and adherence to infection prevention protocols. Such situations increase the risk of infection to other patients and staff on psychiatric inpatient units. We discuss medical and ethical considerations for navigating this dilemma and offer a set of policy recommendations.

Subject(s)

Clinical Laboratory Techniques; Coronavirus Infections/prevention & control; Ethics, Medical; Hospitalization; Mental Disorders/complications; Pandemics/prevention & control; Pneumonia, Viral/prevention & control; Quarantine; Refusal to Participate; Betacoronavirus; COVID-19; COVID-19 Testing; Coronavirus Infections/diagnosis; Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology; Coronavirus Infections/virology; Humans; Infection Control/methods; Mental Disorders/therapy; Pneumonia, Viral/diagnosis; Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology; Pneumonia, Viral/virology; Policy; Psychiatry; SARS-CoV-2; Social Isolation; Treatment Refusal

Keywords

clinical ethics; involuntary civil commitment; psychiatry; right to refuse treatment

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Pneumonia, Viral / Quarantine / Coronavirus Infections / Clinical Laboratory Techniques / Refusal to Participate / Ethics, Medical / Pandemics / Hospitalization / Mental Disorders Type of study: Diagnostic study / Observational study / Prognostic study Topics: Long Covid Limits: Humans Language: English Journal: J Med Ethics Year: 2020 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: Medethics-2020-106613

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