Ethical Issues and the Allocation of Scarce Resources During a Public Health Emergency
Authors: John Hansen-Flaschen
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2009)

Letters16 June 2009Ethical Issues and the Allocation of Scarce Resources During a Public Health EmergencyJohn Hansen-Flaschen, MDJohn Hansen-Flaschen, MDFrom University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-150-12-200906160-00017 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:White and colleagues (1) propose a strategy based on contemporary moral considerations for allocating a limited number of mechanical ventilators in the event of an influenza pandemic or other comparable public health emergency. Their approach prioritizes patients for life support by summing their scores on three 4-point scales: prognosis for short-term survival on the basis of acute organ dysfunction, prognosis for long-term survival on the basis of assessment of comorbid conditions, and life stage (age). It is instructive to test this strategy against an actual, well-documented public health emergency that unfolded at the dawn of modern respiratory ...References1. White DB, Katz MH, Luce JM, Lo B. Who should receive life support during a public health emergency? Using ethical principles to improve allocation decisions. Ann Intern Med. 2009;150:132-8. [PMID: 19153413] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Wackers GL. Modern anaesthesiological principles for bulbar polio: manual IPPR in the 1952 polio-epidemic in Copenhagen. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 1994;38:420-31. [PMID: 7941935] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: John Hansen-Flaschen, MDAffiliations: From University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoWho Should Receive Life Support During a Public Health Emergency? Using Ethical Principles to Improve Allocation Decisions Douglas B. White , Mitchell H. Katz , John M. Luce , and Bernard Lo Ethical Issues and the Allocation of Scarce Resources During a Public Health Emergency Mark D. Siegel Ethical Issues and the Allocation of Scarce Resources During a Public Health Emergency Tia Powell , Guthrie Birkhead , and Kelly Christ Ethical Issues and the Allocation of Scarce Resources During a Public Health Emergency Michael D. Christian , Christian E. Sandrock , Asha Devereaux , James Geiling , CAPT Dennis E. Amundson , and Lewis Rubinson Ethical Issues and the Allocation of Scarce Resources During a Public Health Emergency Douglas B. White , Bernard Lo , and Mitch Katz Ethical Issues and the Allocation of Scarce Resources During a Public Health Emergency Allan R. Glass Metrics 16 June 2009Volume 150, Issue 12Page: 889KeywordsConflicts of interestPoliomyelitisPositive pressure ventilationPrevention, policy, and public healthRespiratory failureTracheostomyVentilators ePublished: 16 June 2009 Issue Published: 16 June 2009 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2009 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...