Ethical Responsibilities of Health Care Professionals
Given the very serious ramifications of limited resources in a disaster and its accompanying decisions and outcomes,
there is an ethical responsibility on the part of health care professionals to prepare themselves for decision-making
and the allocation of scarce resources in a disaster. Since the events of 9/11, health care organizations have devoted
significant time along with human and financial resources to evaluate their capacity and capability in preparedness
for a response to a disaster. These efforts have been supplemented with federal preparedness funds to assist health
care organizations in this costly endeavor.
The State Expert Panel on the Ethics of Disaster Preparedness in collaboration with the Wisconsin Division of
Public Health, Hospital Emergency Preparedness Program and the Wisconsin Hospital Association has developed
a series of brochures, entitled “The Ethics of Health Care Disaster Preparedness.” These documents provide
guidance to health care organizations and their staff so that all have a better understanding of why certain
decisions are made, how these decisions are informed by the ethical principles in this document and how these
decisions will be implemented when there are limited resources.
The State Expert Panel has produced this document primarily as a basis for discussion so health care professionals can
participate in a dialogue that will further refine these guidelines. The desired outcomes of these discussions include:
a greater awareness of the ethical issues that will arise during a disaster
•
an understanding of the ethically justifiable expectations regarding what to expect from the health care
•
system during a disaster
Before reading this brochure, you are encouraged to read the brochure
“Ethics of Health Care Disaster Preparedness.”
This brochure was completed by the State Expert Panel on the Ethics of Disaster Preparedness in collaboration with the Wisconsin
Hospital Association and the Hospital Prepa