August 2009
www.bioethics.iu.edu
www.bioethics.iu.edu
www.statehealth.in.gov
www.statehealth.in.gov
Ethics Guide
for Health Care Practitioners
Working Under Conditions of
an Influenza Pandemic
www.statehealth.in.gov
PLAN
PREPARE
PRACTICE
www.statehealth.in.gov
PLAN
PREPARE
PRACTICE
www.statehealth.in.gov
PLAN
PREPARE
PRACTICE
In July 2008, a nation-wide
Summit of the States convened
in Indianapolis, Indiana to
address the ethical issues arising
for state-level health officials
planning for pandemic influenza.
www.bioethics.iu.edu/pandemic_portal.asp
One of the action steps identified at the Indianapolis
Summit was to: “Create toolkits for local education,
planning, partnerships, and community engagement.”
You now have in your hands an Ethics Toolkit for
Health Care Practitioners that has been developed
by the Indiana University Center for Bioethics, with
funding from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention through the Indiana State Department
of Health.
The Ethics Toolkit is designed to assist health
care providers in carrying out their ethical
responsibilities of caring for patients and families
within the clinical environment during an influenza
pandemic. In particular, the Toolkit is designed to
give practical input on key issues facing health
care practitioners, specifically: Altered Standards
of Care; Vaccine and Antiviral Provision; Triage; and
Workforce Management. Other issues are discussed
in the Toolkit, but receive less comprehensive
attention. The input for each of these issues is based
on an Ethical Framework that provides a reasoned
basis for decision making. The Framework – Ethical
Points to Consider – is found on the following page.
The Toolkit is intended to supplement relevant
institutional, state and federal policies and
procedures, not to replace them. Health care
practitioners are encouraged to discuss policies
applicable to their work, with the appropriate
institutional official. Practitioners are given
resources such as web-links, for further