Medical Emergency Management

Paper Summary:

This paper addresses possible ethical violations and how they can potentially affect medical emergency operations from the point of view of an Emergency Operations Director. Ethical topics discussed include the following: bias in treatment (or lack of treatment); confidentiality issues; criminal activity versus confidentiality; medical research within an emergency care setting; and refusal of care. Also considered are ethical dilemmas such as who gets treated first in cases of multiple injured parties. The author concludes that effective triage plans be in place to ensure that personnel know when to focus on some patients versus others.

From the Paper:

"Bias in emergency medical treatment is possible for numerous reasons. Common biases include prejudice based on of race, social status, or lifestyle choices (Nordquist 2006). Known involvement in criminal activity, such as drug use, might also affect a patient's ability to secure quality care, as might availability to health insurance. Finally, a patient's family's wishes might come into account, specifically in emergency care involving resuscitation or elderly patients."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Nordquist, G. (2006). "Patient insurance status and do-not-resuscutate orders: Survival of the richest?" Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, 33(1), 75-91.
• Pauls, M., McRae, A., Campbell, S., & Dungey, P. (2004). "Ethics in the trenches: Part 2. Case studies of ethical challenges in emergency medicine." The Journal of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, 6(5), 363-366.
• Rhodes, R., Richardson, L., & Moros, D.A. (2005). "Issues in medical ethics: Special challenges of emergency medicine." Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine, 72(4), 214-215.

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