Citation

Pingree CS, Newberry TR, McMains KC, Holt GR. HEC Forum 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Professor Emeritus and Clinical Professor, U.T. Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, USA. holtg@uthscsa.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10730-020-09405-9

PMID

32172454

Abstract

American society has a history of turning to physicians during times of extreme need, from plagues in the past to recent outbreaks of communicable diseases. This public instinct comes from a deep seated trust in physician duty that has been earned over the centuries through dedicated and selfless care, often in the face of personal risks. As dangers facing our communities include terroristic events physicians must be adequately prepared to respond, both medically and ethically. While the ethical principles that govern physician behavior-beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and social justice-are unchanging, fundamental doctrines must change with the new risks inherent to terroristic events. Responding to mass casualty disasters caused by terrorists, natural calamities, and combat continue to be challenging frontiers in medicine. Preparing physicians to deal with the consequences of a terroristic disease must include understanding the ethical challenges that can occur.

Language: en

Keywords

Combat ethics' military medical ethics; Disaster relief; Extreme environment; Physician training