Ethics in disaster, mass casualty care, and critical care.
Tanya EgodageJay DoucetPurvi Pravinchandra PatelMatthew J MartinPublished in: Trauma surgery & acute care open (2024)
The primary ethical principle guiding general medical practice is autonomy. However, in mass casualty (MASCAL) or disaster scenarios, the principles of beneficence and justice become of foremost concern. Despite multiple reviews, publications, and training courses available to prepare for a MASCAL incident, a minority of physicians and healthcare providers are abreast of these. In this review, we describe several MASCAL scenarios and their associated ethical, moral, and medicolegal quandaries in attempts to curb potential future misadventures.
Keyphrases
- healthcare
- climate change
- decision making
- primary care
- public health
- cardiovascular disease
- quality improvement
- human health
- current status
- palliative care
- big data
- systematic review
- virtual reality
- type diabetes
- risk assessment
- health information
- randomized controlled trial
- pain management
- affordable care act
- global health
- health insurance