Ethical values and principles to guide the fair allocation of resources in response to a pandemic: a rapid systematic review.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The coronavirus 2019 pandemic placed unprecedented pressures on healthcare services and magnified ethical dilemmas related to how resources should be allocated. These resources include, among others, personal protective equipment, personnel, life-saving equipment, and vaccines. Decision-makers have therefore sought ethical decision-making tools so that resources are distributed both swiftly and equitably. To support the development of such a decision-making tool, a systematic review of the literature on relevant ethical values and principles was undertaken. The aim of this review was to identify ethical values and principles in the literature which relate to the equitable allocation of resources in response to an acute public health threat, such as a pandemic.

Methods

SUBMITTER: O'Sullivan L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9261249 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature