Ethical Issues and the Allocation of Scarce Resources During a Public Health Emergency

  1. John Hansen-Flaschen, MD
  1. From University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104.

    TO THE EDITOR:

    White and colleagues (1) propose a strategy based on contemporary moral considerations for allocating a limited number of mechanical ventilators in the event of an influenza pandemic or other comparable public health emergency. Their approach prioritizes patients for life support by summing their scores on three 4-point scales: prognosis for short-term survival on the basis of acute organ dysfunction, prognosis for long-term survival on the basis of assessment …

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    1. Ann Intern Med June 16, 2009 vol. 150 no. 12 889
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