Projects per year
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic is putting the NHS under unprecedented pressure, requiring clinicians to make uncomfortable decisions they would not ordinarily face. These decisions revolve primarily around intensive care and whether a patient should undergo invasive ventilation. Certain vulnerable populations have featured in the media as falling victim to an increasingly utilitarian response to the pandemic – primarily those of advanced years or with serious existing health conditions. Another vulnerable population potentially at risk is those who lack the capacity to make their own care decisions.
Owing to the pandemic, there are increased practical and normative challenges to following the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Both capacity assessments and best interests decisions may prove more difficult in the current situation. This may create a more paternalistic situation in decisions about the care of the cognitively impaired which is at risk of taking on a utilitarian focus. We look to these issues and consider whether there is a risk of patients who lack capacity to make their own care decisions being short-changed.
Owing to the pandemic, there are increased practical and normative challenges to following the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Both capacity assessments and best interests decisions may prove more difficult in the current situation. This may create a more paternalistic situation in decisions about the care of the cognitively impaired which is at risk of taking on a utilitarian focus. We look to these issues and consider whether there is a risk of patients who lack capacity to make their own care decisions being short-changed.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 447-450 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Journal of Medical Ethics |
Volume | 46 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - May 2020 |
Research Groups and Themes
- BABEL
- Covid19
Keywords
- allocation of health care resources
- capacity
- clinical ethics
- decision-making
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Dive into the research topics of 'Best Interests v Resource Allocation: Could COVID-19 cloud decision-making for the cognitively impaired?'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 2 Finished
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BIRD: Best Interests in Renal Dialysis
Parsons, J. A. (Principal Investigator)
1/10/19 → 30/09/22
Project: Research
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Balancing Best Interests in Health Care, Ethics and Law (BABEL)
Huxtable, R. (Principal Investigator), Laing, J. M. (Co-Investigator), Ives, J. C. S. (Co-Investigator), McGuinness, S. (Collaborator), Birchley, G. M. (Researcher), Valenti, E. (Researcher), Guilloud, S. J. (Researcher) & Finnerty, A. M. (Researcher)
1/09/18 → 31/08/23
Project: Research