• Kenneth V Iserson, Arthur R Derse, John C Moskop, and Joel M Geiderman.
• Department of Emergency Medicine, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona; Department of Emergency Medicine, Institute of Health Science Education, University of Guyana, Georgetown, Guyana.
• J Emerg Med. 2023 Jun 1; 64 (6): 740749740-749.

BackgroundPandemics with devastating morbidity and mortality have occurred repeatedly throughout recorded history. Each new scourge seems to surprise governments, medical experts, and the public. The SARS CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic, for example, arrived as an unwelcome surprise to an unprepared world.DiscussionDespite humanity's extensive experience with pandemics and their associated ethical dilemmas, no consensus has emerged on preferred normative standards to deal with them. In this article, we consider the ethical dilemmas faced by physicians who work in these risk-prone situations and propose a set of ethical norms for current and future pandemics. As front-line clinicians for critically ill patients during pandemics, emergency physicians will play a substantial role in making and implementing treatment allocation decisions.ConclusionOur proposed ethical norms should help future physicians make morally challenging choices during pandemics.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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