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To the Editor: In their Commentary, Mr Coleman and Dr Reis¹ discussed current state legislation mandating physician participation in pandemic care. I believe that ethical analysis of this issue has been relatively abstract because the duty of physicians to take personal risk is poorly defined, the risk involved in providing pandemic care is unknown, and the willingness of physicians to participate in hazardous care has not been ascertained.

Sokol² has warned that a concept of physicians' limitless duty of care is "ethically dangerous." Not only does it demand too much of the physician, but it may also be counterproductive. The original American Medical Association Code of Ethics (1847), in its delineation of duties of the profession to society, pledged that physicians would provide care in such times " . . . in regard to measures for the prevention of epidemic and contagious diseases; and when pestilence prevails, it is their duty to face the . . . [Full Text of this Article]

M. Carmen Meerschaert, MD, MBHL
mcmeerschaert@gmail.com
Department of Internal Medicine
Michigan State University
East Lansing

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Potential Penalties for Health Care Professionals Who Refuse to Work During a Pandemic
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Physicians’ Duty to Participate in Pandemic Care—Reply
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