Welcome to Ethics Consult -- an opportunity to discuss, debate (respectfully), and learn together. We present an ethical dilemma in patient care (hypothetical for this edition); you vote on your decision in the case. Next week, we'll reveal how you all made the call. And stay tuned -- an ethics expert will weigh in next week with an ethical framework to help you learn and prepare.
You are caring for an 85-year-old man in the ICU with COVID-19; his survival chances are iffy. His 83-year-old wife, who has thus far tested negative for the virus, wants to be with him in the ICU, but she has multiple comorbidities herself that put her at risk for severe illness if she were to become infected. You've explained the risks and she is willing to wear PPE, which is plentiful in your hospital.
See the results and what an ethics expert has to say.
And check out some of our past Ethics Consult cases: Surprise Finding in Organ Donation Match Test; Compel Woman to Have C-Section?; Give COVID-19 Vax to Yourself Before Patients?