Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 15, 2025

An Educational Video Demonstration of How to Prone a Critically Ill Intubated Patient
07:16

An Educational Video Demonstration of How to Prone a Critically Ill Intubated Patient

Published on: November 30, 2022

4.2K

Critical care triaging in the shadow of COVID-19: Ethics considerations

J A Singh1, K Moodley

  • 1Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. singhj9@ukzn.ac.za.

South African Medical Journal = Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif Vir Geneeskunde
|July 14, 2020
PubMed

Insights

The COVID-19 pandemic strains South Africa's healthcare system, potentially requiring rationing of critical care, including ventilation and intensive care withdrawal. Ethical considerations for these decisions are urgently needed.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Healthcare Management
  • Medical Ethics

Background:

  • The global rise in COVID-19 cases and mortality presents a significant challenge to healthcare systems worldwide.
  • South Africa faces increasing COVID-19 infection rates, raising concerns about its healthcare capacity in both state and private sectors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the potential strain on South Africa's critical care services due to a surge in COVID-19 cases.
  • To highlight the ethical considerations surrounding resource limitations and rationing decisions in critical care.

Main Methods:

  • This study is a conceptual analysis and ethical review.
  • It examines critical decision points in intensive care, specifically access to ventilation and withdrawal of care.

Main Results:

  • A surge in COVID-19 cases could overwhelm South Africa's critical care resources.
  • Rationing decisions may become necessary at two key junctures: allocation of ventilators and decisions on withdrawing intensive care.

Conclusions:

  • Urgent ethical consideration is required for decision-making processes regarding critical care rationing in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The ethical dimensions of allocating ventilators and withdrawing care from deteriorating patients need careful deliberation to ensure equitable and just practices.

More Related Videos

Halogenated Agent Delivery in Porcine Model of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome via an Intensive Care Unit Type Device09:36

Halogenated Agent Delivery in Porcine Model of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome via an Intensive Care Unit Type Device

Published on: September 24, 2020

3.0K
Observational Study Protocol for Repeated Clinical Examination and Critical Care Ultrasonography Within the Simple Intensive Care Studies10:38

Observational Study Protocol for Repeated Clinical Examination and Critical Care Ultrasonography Within the Simple Intensive Care Studies

Published on: January 16, 2019

20.6K

Related Concept Videos

Ethical Issues01:27

Ethical Issues

Nurses are essential in patient care, upholding the ethical principles of their profession and effectively navigating ethical dilemmas. Neglecting ethical issues can lead to inadequate patient care, compromised therapeutic relationships, and moral distress among healthcare workers.
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare:
1.8K
Ethical Dilemmas II01:30

Ethical Dilemmas II

Resolving an ethical dilemma in healthcare involves a systematic approach that considers every aspect of the issue, respecting both the patient's needs and values and the healthcare professional's ethical obligations. Here are potential steps to resolve an ethical dilemma:
2.0K
Ethics and Bioethics01:22

Ethics and Bioethics

Ethics is a philosophical study of moral actions. Ethics attempts to determine what is valuable for individuals and society. It examines the rational justification of moral judgments and analyzes what is morally just, fair, and right. Bioethics is a sub-discipline of applied ethics that analyzes the philosophical, social, and legal issues in life sciences and medicine. Ethical theories serve as a foundation for decision-making and represent the viewpoints from which people seek direction. They...
2.4K
Ethical Dilemmas I01:17

Ethical Dilemmas I

Ethical dilemmas in nursing are of utmost importance, as they often arise from the tension between adhering to core ethical principles and the practical realities of healthcare delivery. These dilemmas require nurses to navigate complex situations where competing ethical considerations pull them in different directions.
Let us explore some examples to understand the potentially complex moral decisions nurses face.
Take the case of caring for minors, particularly in areas related to reproductive...
1.6K
Nursing Ethical Principles II01:27

Nursing Ethical Principles II

Ethical principles are essential in guiding nurses to fulfill their responsibilities, focusing on the quality of nursing care and decision-making. These principles, including autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, and fidelity, shape the ethical framework within healthcare settings.
Consider the following scenario, which illustrates how these principles are applied in the care of Mr. John, a fifty-year-old teacher diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Initially, Mr. John's...
1.8K
Transmission-based Precautions II: Airborne and Protective Environment01:25

Transmission-based Precautions II: Airborne and Protective Environment

Transmission-based precautions are for patients infected or suspected to be infected (or colonized) with organisms posing a significant risk to others. The transmission precautions include airborne and protective environment precautions.
Airborne precautions:
Use airborne precautions when treating patients known or suspected to have diseases that spread through the air—for example, tuberculosis or measles. These organisms are present in smaller droplets expelled by an infected person and...
1.7K