Ethical Considerations of the Duty to Care and Physician Safety in the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Some of the most frightening stories that have emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic have been of overwhelmed physicians caring for patients despite a lack of adequate personal protective equipment. During a pandemic, questions naturally arise around the balance between a physician’s duty to provide care to patients, their obligations to protect their family and loved ones, and their right to protect their own health. Any decision-making frameworks we use in these exceptional times should consider the traditional principles of medical ethics, but also must reflect the core principles of public health ethics: respect; the harm principle; fairness; consistency; using the least coercive and restrictive means; working together; reciprocity; proportionality; flexibility; and procedural justice. Competing Obligations: The World Health Organization outlines the obligations of healthcare providers in the context of a pandemic as falling under three main categories: moral, professional, and legal.