Given the many ethical issues that have arisen in the response to and the management of COVID-19 patients, the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Committee on Ethics has prepared some guiding principles to help our Fellows and their institutions in their decision-making process. These guidelines provide a framework for discussion and do not supersede or supplant thoughtful recommendations coming from institutional bioethics committees. Rather, they should be viewed as an adjunct where such committees exist, and as a resource where they do not. In this initial installment, we examine ethical issues caused by the triaging challenges, moral distress, and financial burden created by this global pandemic.
https://www.facs.org/covid-19/newsletter/032420/ethics