Ethical triage protocols

Richard A. Sokerka

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, healthcare workers on the front lines are treating more patients than they can possible handle at one time, forcing them in some cases to make life and death decisions. This is especially true at the epicenter of the pandemic in New Jersey and New York.

In this moment in time of rushing to the aid of those infected with the virus, Catholic healthcare and bioethics groups are calling for national protocols that eschew discrimination by age or disability as patients of the coronavirus pandemic are assigned medical care.

“We call for a national set of clear and ethical triage protocols that affirm the dignity of all people. Until then, we urge hospitals and health care professionals to adopt protocols that protect the vulnerable and reject discrimination. The principle of the equal dignity and value of every human life depend on it,” the National Catholic Bioethics Center and the Christus Medicus Foundation wrote in a statement issued on Holy Thursday, April 9.

“America’s healthcare workers on the frontlines are already confronting this question as they work to save lives in unprecedented triage situations in our homeland. Who is given lifesaving care in a time of limited intensive care capacity and rationed equipment is one of the greatest moral questions our nation has ever faced. How we respond is a reflection of our values, one that will define us forever,” the statement read.

The groups said that making decisions about healthcare allocation should not include discrimination based upon age or disability, assessment of the “quality of life” of patients, or metrics based upon the likely remaining lifespan of the patient apart from the illness.

“We urge hospitals and healthcare workers to use survivability as the litmus test for rationing care during triage. Anything more is stereotyping. Once decisions are expanded to include nonclinical factors and value judgments, discrimination and injustice inevitably ensue,” the statement said.

For the Catholic healthcare system across our nation, we know this statement is akin to preaching to the choir. Nevertheless, it is important that every other healthcare facility in America follow the ethical protocols outlined in this statement so that all patients are treated equally and with the God-given dignity they deserve.