How Should Military Health Care Workers Respond When Conflict Reaches the Hospital?
AMA J Ethics. 2022 Jun 1;24(6):E478-482.
doi: 10.1001/amajethics.2022.478.
[Article in
Arabic,
English]
Affiliations
- 1 Chief of preventive medicine for the US Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa, stationed in Kisumu, Kenya, and an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland.
- 2 Legal advisor to the Department of Defense Medical Ethics Center and an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland.
- 3 Consulting bioethicist to the Department of Defense Medical Ethics Center.
Abstract
Military clinicians face unique ethical challenges in conflict zones, particularly if conflict reaches a health care setting. Although the ethical challenges of rationing and triaging while fulfilling obligations to individual patients are not dissimilar to those civilian clinicians encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic, military clinicians must also meet national security and mission requirements. Conflicting clinical care, mission, and individual conscience obligations can cause moral distress, a deeply troubling internal conflict also experienced by civilian clinicians. Crisis settings imposed in conflict or during pandemic surges demonstrate the need for all clinicians to be prepared to modify practice priorities during extreme circumstances.
Copyright 2022 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved.
MeSH terms
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COVID-19*
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Health Personnel
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Hospitals
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Humans
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Military Personnel*
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Pandemics