An ethical analysis of clinical triage protocols and decision-making frameworks: what do the principles of justice, freedom, and a disability rights approach demand of us?
BMC Med Ethics
; 23(1): 11, 2022 02 11.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35148763
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The expectation of pandemic-induced severe resource shortages has prompted authorities to draft and update frameworks to guide clinical decision-making and patient triage. While these documents differ in scope, they share a utilitarian focus on the maximization of benefit. This utilitarian view necessarily marginalizes certain groups, in particular individuals with increased medical needs. MAIN BODY Here, we posit that engagement with the disability critique demands that we broaden our understandings of justice and fairness in clinical decision-making and patient triage. We propose the capabilities theory, which recognizes that justice requires a range of positive capabilities/freedoms conducive to the achievement of meaningful life goals, as a means to do so. Informed by a disability rights critique of the clinical response to the pandemic, we offer direction for the construction of future clinical triage protocols which will avoid ableist biases by incorporating a broader apprehension of what it means to be human.CONCLUSION:
The clinical pandemic response, codified across triage protocols, should embrace a form of justice which incorporates a vision of pluralistic human capabilities and a valuing of positive freedoms.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Triagem
/
COVID-19
Tipo de estudo:
Guideline
/
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
BMC Med Ethics
Assunto da revista:
ETICA
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Canadá