@article{d5c6b856cd304fdf9d09a92eeec133e6,
title = "Ethics, pandemics, and the duty to treat",
abstract = "Numerous grounds have been offered for the view that healthcare workers have a duty to treat, including expressed consent, implied consent, special training, reciprocity (also called the social contract view), and professional oaths and codes. Quite often, however, these grounds are simply asserted without being adequately defended or without the defenses being critically evaluated. This essay aims to help remedy that problem by providing a critical examination of the strengths and weaknesses of each of these five grounds for asserting that healthcare workers have a duty to treat, especially as that duty would arise in the context of an infectious disease pandemic. Ultimately, it argues that none of the defenses is currently sufficient to ground the kind of duty that would be needed in a pandemic. It concludes by sketching some practical recommendations in that regard.",
keywords = "AIDS, Bioterrorism, Moral theory, Philosophy, Professional ethics, Public health",
author = "Heidi Malm and Thomas May and Francis, {Leslie P.} and Omer, {Saad B.} and Salmon, {Daniel A.} and Robert Hood",
note = "Funding Information: Received 1 June 2007; accepted 27 July 2007. In 2006, the persons listed as authors on this manuscript formed a working group on ethics and pandemics that was graciously funded, in part, by a grant from the Florida Department of Health. Numerous ethical issues related to pandemic influenza were discussed at multiple meetings. Manuscripts on some of those issues are presented elsewhere. For the present topic, Malm held primary responsibility for crafting, drafting, organizing and refining the particular arguments, with other members of the working group contributing to the discussion as was consistent with their areas of expertise. Each member of the working group commented on at least one draft of the manuscript, as did non-members Margaret Battin, Dan Hefter, Beverly Kracher, and Joan McGregor. The latter are thanked for their input. As is to be expected, and valued, members of the group had different opinions on a number of issues. Thus the views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the Florida Department of Health, nor, for any particular argument, anyone other than Malm. Address correspondence to Heidi Malm, Professor, Department of Philosophy, Loyola University Chicago, 6525 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL 60626. E-mail: hmalm@luc.edu",
year = "2008",
month = aug,
doi = "10.1080/15265160802317974",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "8",
pages = "4--19",
journal = "American Journal of Bioethics",
issn = "1526-5161",
publisher = "Routledge",
number = "8",
}