Ethics, medicine, and public health
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Ethics Med Public Health · Mar 2021
ReviewEthical rationing of healthcare resources during COVID-19 outbreak: Review.
While rationing of healthcare resources is inevitable even in the most developed economies, particularly on the wake of a pandemic, ethical basis of its implementation needs to be reviewed. With sudden and huge demand for drugs and medical supplies and equipments, the need for rationing arises and thus the concept becomes unavoidable. ⋯ Concrete and pragmatic regulations and guidelines for systematic rationing have to be framed and followed. In addition, physicians being sensitive and empowered on deciding bedside rationing in coordination with the recommendations of ethicists and healthcare officials, will ensure fair practice.
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Ethics Med Public Health · Oct 2020
Fighting the Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic: Employing lessons from the Ebola virus disease response.
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is caused by a beta-coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that affects the lower respiratory tract and appears as pneumonia in humans. COVID-19 became apparent in December 2019 in Wuhan City of China, and has propagated profusely globally. ⋯ However, special efforts to reduce transmission via efficient public health communications and dissemination of risks should be applied in susceptible populations including children, health care providers, and the elderly. In response to this global pandemic, this article summarizes proven strategies that could be employed to combat the COVID-19 disease outbreak, taking a cue from lessons learned from the Ebola virus disease response.
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Ethics Med Public Health · Oct 2020
COVID-19 response in Nigeria: Health system preparedness and lessons for future epidemics in Africa.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) will continue to have a significant impact on the way we live for at least the next few years until the scale-up of production and administration of an effective vaccine. Unfortunately, this will not be the last pandemic of infectious diseases the world will experience, and the next one may have more devastating consequences in Africa than COVID-19, unless critical lessons for the future are learnt now for more rapid and robust containment measures. ⋯ Importantly, lessons learnt during the Ebola epidemic have had a significant impact on Nigeria's COVID-19 response. In this article, we discuss Nigeria's response, health system preparedness and the lessons that are critical for containment of future outbreaks, epidemics or pandemics of any infectious disease in Africa.
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Ethics Med Public Health · Jul 2020
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Guidelines, adaptations and lessons during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented strain on the American healthcare system. Personal protective equipment (PPE) remains critical in keeping healthcare providers healthy and safe. The sudden increase in demand as well as the limited availability places increased risk on providers which may inhibit their ability to effectively manage patients. The purpose of this brief article is to review the recommended guidelines for PPE usage and compare them to how medical societies have adapted and responded to decreased supply, as well as public response.