The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a shift in views on whether doctors are obligated to treat patients with infectious diseases, according to a new study. While historically, physicians have believed they should treat infectious disease patients, the study found a significant increase in acceptance of doctors refusing care to Covid-19 patients. Lead author Braylee Grisel was surprised by the findings, as previous outbreaks did not show the same level of acceptance for withholding treatment.
Researchers analyzed 187 published articles addressing the ethical dilemma doctors face when treating infectious diseases. While 75% of the articles advocated for doctors treating patients, Covid-19 had the highest number of articles (60%) stating that it is ethically acceptable for doctors to refuse treatment. This shift in views can be attributed to the unique challenges healthcare workers faced during the Covid-19 pandemic, including severe shortages of resources and mistreatment from patients and relatives.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, only a small percentage of published views argued that it was acceptable for doctors to withhold treatment from patients. However, the pandemic brought labor rights and worker protections to the forefront, with 40% of articles published after the pandemic began highlighting these issues. Compared to other infectious diseases like influenza, SARS, and HIV, Covid-19 was the first modern outbreak to put a significant number of frontline providers at personal risk due to its respiratory transmission.
The study, published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, identified various factors that influenced the shift in views on doctors’ obligation to care for all Covid-19 patients. Healthcare workers faced shortages of resources such as hospital beds, ventilators, and personal protective gear, and were overwhelmed during multiple waves of the virus. Additionally, healthcare workers encountered mistreatment and aggression from patients and relatives, as well as patients refusing vaccinations and spreading misinformation.
Arguments were made based on reciprocity, medical triage, and personal responsibility to exclude patients who refused vaccines from consideration when scarce resources were limited. The study highlights the ongoing ethical dilemmas faced by healthcare workers during the Covid-19 pandemic and the need for further discussions on the obligations of doctors to treat infectious disease patients. Overall, the study sheds light on the evolving views and challenges in the healthcare field during a global health crisis.
