COVID-19 pandemic and the ethical challenges in patient care

摘要

The COVID-19 disease is a recent human infectious disease caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This virus has affected almost all world's countries, and hence challenged the global healthcare system (1) . Healthcare providers should comprehend ethical aspects of providing care services during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the following factors highlight the need for providing ethical care services: (i) ongoing advances in diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19, (ii) discovery of new pharmaceuticals, and (iii) disparities in accessing to healthcare among the pandemic-affected (2) . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have proposed healthcare guidelines for standard precautions while caring for the COVID-19 patients and observing quarantine principles (3) . Social distancing and quarantining can lead to neglect of vulnerable patients, discrimination against them, as well as limiting their access to health services, educational and social programs. The consequences of social distancing and quarantining can become risk factors in violating patient rights. Physicians and nurses have a moral duty to fulfill patients’ rights (2, 4) , and failure to adhere to professional ethics leads to the challenges reducing care quality (2) .