Medical Ethics in Crisis Situations

Medical ethics in crisis situations involves making difficult decisions that balance saving lives, fairness, and respecting patient rights, often under resource constraints. Healthcare providers must prioritize care, often with limited supplies and time, while ensuring actions are justified, transparent, and compassionate. Key principles include doing good (beneficence), avoiding harm (non-maleficence), respecting patient autonomy, and ensuring fair treatment (justice). In crises like pandemics or disasters, ethical challenges may include allocating scarce resources, triaging patients, and communicating honestly, all while maintaining professional integrity and empathy.