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Via CIDRAP (Center For Infectious Disease Research & Policy) we get this link to two seminar videos from the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health website on a seminar on the ethics of rationing scarce resources during a pandemic.
This seminar was sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Health and the University of Minnesota Center for Public Health Preparedness, and was held on June 5th, 2008.
Specifically, addressing the difficulties of rationing:
- Antivirals (Prevention/Treatment)
- N95's (PPE)
- Masks (PPE)
- Vaccine (Prevention)
- Ventilators (Treatment)
The recommendations in the video are advisory, and are not mandates. They are also provisional, as they intend to get public input before putting a final version out.
The two videos run about 2 hours total, and require Real Player.
Ethics in the Worst of Times: Rationing to Protect the Public's Health during a Severe Influenza Pandemic
This event took place on June 5, 2008.
Who should be first to receive scarce health-related resources in a severe pandemic? How should scarce resources like antivirals, masks, vaccines, and ventilators be rationed? How will you communicate a public health perspective to your community, supporting rationing strategies to further our common good? How will you educate them and enlist their support of a state-wide plan to ration these resources in ways intended to save the most lives, preserve public safety and order, and be fair?
Ethicists in Minnesota have worked with state and local public health agencies and a diverse community panel to develop an ethical framework to guide the Minnesota Department of Health's decisions in the midst of a severe pandemic, for the statewide rationing of a range of critical health-related resources for prevention, treatment and personal protection.
In this session, they will present their ethical framework, consisting of principles, goals, and strategies. They will engage you in the vexing ethical issues associated with deciding which groups should be prioritized to receive these vital resources when everyone is, in varying ways and to varying extents, at risk.
Video
To watch the streaming video, your computer needs:
- Internet connection with a 56K modem or faster.
- Sound card with speakers so you can hear the audio portion of the course.
- Real Player Software - if it isn't installed on your computer, download it for free at http://real.com.
Click below for videos from June 5, 2008
Speakers
Debra A. DeBruin, PhD, is Director of Education in the Center for Bioethics, University of Minnesota.
J. Eline (Ellie) Garrett, JD, is the Assistant Director for Health Policy and Public Health for the Minnesota Center for Health Care Ethics in Minneapolis.
Angela Witt Prehn, PhD, is a Center Associate for the Minnesota Center for Health Care Ethics and an adjunct professor, University of Minnesota.
Mary Faith Marshall, PhD, is Associate Dean for Social Medicine and Medical Humanities and Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota Medical School.
