Virtual Mentor. September 2010

This month in Virtual Mentor

Natural Disasters, Quarantine, and Public Health Emergencies

From 9/11 to SARS to Hurricane Katrina, public health emergencies and mass casualties catch us off guard and overmatched. How can medicine prepare to respond to the next emergency rather than to the last one? To answer that question medicine must resolve the many ethical concerns embedded in methods for preventing and containing disease, some of which restrict civil rights; the design of triage protocols for treating the injured; and protections for physicians who participate in relief efforts. This month’s Virtual Mentor authors think much work remains to be done.

Preparing for and Responding to Mass Casualties and Disasters Andrew C. Miller, MD We can raise, but not answer definitively, many of the ethical issues that epidemics and disasters present.

Conducting Clinical Research during Disasters Commentary by Elizabeth Lee Daugherty, MD, MPH, and Douglas B. White, MD, MA Opportunities to advance scientific knowledge may arise during humanitarian crises, but their presence does not justify suspension of the ethical foundations governing human subjects research.

Disaster Triage Protocols Must Be Reconsidered Sheri L. Fink, MD, PhD Public thinking must be sought on the value-laden questions of rationing and resource allocation. The public may also play a role in conserving resources and decreasing the need for medical services during a disaster.

The Case of Dr. Anna Pou—Physician Liability in Emergency Situations Ryan Bailey A year after Hurricane Katrina, Dr. Pou was arrested and charged with one count of second-degree murder and nine counts of conspiracy to commit second-degree murder for administering drugs to patients who subsequently died.

Upcoming Issues

• October Ethical Issues in Cardiology
• November Gray Matters: Neuroethics in the Twenty-First Century
• December Ethical Issues in Ophthalmology
• January Ethics and the Role of Guidelines in Medical Practice