Skip to main content

Pandemic Reignited Debate Regarding Physician's Obligation to Treat

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on April 29, 2024.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, April 29, 2024 -- There was a surge in ethics literature during COVID-19 advocating for the ethical acceptability of physicians refusing to treat, according to a study published online April 24 in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Braylee Grisel, from the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, and colleagues analyzed 156 articles for quality, ethical position, reasons, and concepts relating to treatment of infectious patients. Diseases included HIV/AIDS, severe acute respiratory syndrome, COVID-19, Ebola, and influenza (72.2, 10.2, 10.2, 7.0, and 7.0 percent, respectively).

The researchers found that 81.9 percent of articles indicated an obligation to treat. The highest number of papers indicating ethical acceptability of refusal was seen for COVID-19 (60 percent), while the least was seen for HIV (13.3 percent). During COVID-19, several reason domains differed significantly, including unreasonable risks to self/family and labor rights/workers' protection (26.7 and 40 percent, respectively).

"This study really shows how outside pressures in the sociopolitical sphere influence and affect doctors and care providers," Grisel said in a statement. "In future pandemics, we may need to become more aware of how the risks and outside pressures of an active pandemic influence willingness to provide care. Health care systems can learn how to mitigate these influences to ensure that hospitals are adequately staffed to meet patient needs."

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

ACG: 2000 to 2022 Saw Rise in Early-Onset CRC Mortality in the United States

THURSDAY, Oct. 31, 2024 -- Early-onset colorectal cancer (EO-CRC) mortality rose in the United States over the past two decades, most notably in patients aged 20 to 44 years...

Cell-Free Blood DNA Tests Less Effective Than Other CRC Screening

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 30, 2024 -- Cell-free DNA blood tests (cf-bDNA) may be more costly and less effective for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening than other screening modalities...

Elevated BMI Linked to Postacute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 in Children

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 30, 2024 -- For children with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, elevated body mass index (BMI) is associated with an...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.