Bioethics and self-isolation : what about low-resource settings?

Abstract

Healthcare workers have both an obligation to their individual patients and a long-recognised public health responsibility. In the context of infectious disease, such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, this duty may include the use of quarantine and isolation to reduce the transmission of disease to protect the health of the public. Furthermore, doctors have a responsibility to protect their own health to ensure that they are able to provide necessary care. These responsibilities may lead to conflict between patients’ rights of self-determination and doctors’ duty to advocate for the best interests of individual patients and to provide care in emergencies.