Open AccessDuty of Care and the Overall Impact of Infectious Diseases
Author(s) -
Silvana Bara
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
annals of bioethics and clinical applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2691-5774
DOI - 10.23880/abca-16000145
Subject(s) - duty , health care , medicine , infectious disease (medical specialty) , disease , nursing , political science , law , pathology
The role of healthcare providers is crucial to the health and well-being of society and the relationship between the patient and the healthcare provider is of paramount importance. The trust put in this relationship benefits not only the health and well-being of the patient, but society as a whole. Undoubtedly, in their everyday activity healthcare providers are bound by a duty of care towards their patients. However, such duty is challenged in case of infectious diseases, giving rise to many ethical dilemmas. Is this duty absolute? Does it apply at all times? Would treating a patient with an infectious disease endanger healthcare provider’s life or the life of others (his/her patients, family, colleagues, friends)? Would treating an infectious patient help the spread of the disease? Would refusal to treat jeopardize healthcare provider’s career and future? Infectious diseases put a heavy social, economic and political burden on the state. This paper aims to examine the special role of the healthcare provider in cases of infectious diseases and the importance of their profession in the general well-being of society.