COVID-19 Curriculum
  • Medical Student COVID-19 Curriculum
  • Curriculum Overview
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  • Module 1: From Bench to Bedside
    • Basic Virology and Immunology
    • Diagnosis of COVID-19
    • Management of COVID-19
    • Investigational Therapeutics & Vaccine Development
    • Graphic Summary & Concept Videos
  • Module 2: Epidemiology Principles
    • Introduction to Epidemiological Terms
    • Where Are We Now?
    • Where Will We Be Next?
    • Approaches to Long-Term Planning
    • Case Study: 1918 Influenza Pandemic
    • Case Study: 2009 H1N1 Pandemic
    • Case Study: South Korea 2020
    • Graphic Summary
  • Module 3: Health Disparities, Policy Changes, and Socioeconomic Effects in the U.S.
    • Social-Ecological Model for Understanding Differential Impact of COVID-19
    • Health Disparities in COVID Outcomes
    • COVID-19 among Populations in Correctional Facilities
    • Overview of U.S. Health Policy Responses to COVID-19
    • United States Federal Health Policy Response Details
    • State Responses to COVID-19: Selected Case Studies
    • Implications for the Healthcare System Beyond COVID-19 Patients
    • Socioeconomic Ramifications in the United States
    • Summary
  • Module 4: Mental Health in the Time of COVID-19
    • The Biopsychosocial Framework
    • Special Considerations for At-Risk Populations
    • Evolving Clinical Practices in Mental Healthcare
    • Summary
  • Module 5: Communicating Information about COVID-19
    • Skillset Review
    • Science Communication and Misinformation
    • Advance Care Planning
    • Cultural Humility & Meeting People Where They Are
    • Sustaining Constructive Behaviors Over Time
    • Activity: Putting it to Practice
    • Summary
  • Module 6: Training for Potential Clinical Roles
    • Current Medical Student Involvement
    • Personal Protective Equipment
    • Telehealth
    • Being Mindfully Hygienic
    • Triage
    • Mechanical Ventilation: The Basics
    • Care for Self and Others During Crisis
    • Summary
  • Module 7: Global Innovation and Collaboration
    • Staff
    • Stuff
    • Space
    • Systems
      • Risk Communication Strategies
      • Effective Vaccination Protocols
    • Refugee and Migrant Health Case Study
  • Module 8: Medical Ethics in Relation to COVID-19
    • Overview of U.S. Medical Ethics
    • Principles of Allocation
    • Resource Distribution
    • Vulnerable Populations
    • Commitment of Healthcare Professionals and Trainees During Crisis
    • Clinical Trials, Research, and Treatments
    • Public Health
    • Summary
  • COVID-19 Student Response Website
  • Podcast: Antiviral
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  • Introduction
  • Learning Objectives

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Module 8: Medical Ethics in Relation to COVID-19

Discuss various ethical controversies related to COVID-19 and apply ethical frameworks to examine the impacts of personal, medical, and governmental decisions related to the pandemic.

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Last updated 3 years ago

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Authors: James Agolia, Michelle Bayefsky, Maheetha Bharadwaj, Samuel Doernberg, Sun Fletcher, Melody Huang, Margaret Irwin, Maud Jansen, Bina Kassamali, Katie Kester, Benjamin Landwersiek, Chen Lu, Soumyaa Mazumder, Joe Montesano, Niyi Odewade, Phani Paladugu, Larisa Shagabayeva, Derek Soled, Sanjana Srinivasan, Tarika Srinivasan, Maria Thomas, Samson Yu, Allen Zhou, Angela Zou

Editor: , MSc

Reviewers: Edward Hundert, MD; David S. Jones, MD, PhD; Louise King, MD, JD; Christine Mitchell, RN, MS, MTS, FAAN; Robert D. Truog, MD; David Urion, MD; Matthew Baum, PhD, DPhil; Pamela Chen; Rahul Nayak, MD; Sophia Yin

Update Disclaimer: Thank you for visiting Module 8! Due to the wide availability of high-quality resources at the medical student level, we are no longer updating this module regularly. We hope that the material, including our learning objectives, cases, and thought questions can still be useful as an educational resource. If you find that material is incorrect or that a link is broken, please do let us know by emailing .

Introduction

In Module 8 of this curriculum, students will begin to consider the ethical discussion surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. The first section will give an overview of U.S. ethics and principles of allocation. The second section will focus on the ethics of resource distribution, particularly when supplies are limited. The third section will delve into the ethics regarding treatment and care of vulnerable populations, such as homeless individuals or children. The fourth section will center on the commitments and obligations of medical providers and trainees during public health crises. The fifth section will discuss the ethics of clinical trials, research, and treatment, especially when time is of the essence. The final section will analyze the ethics of public health interventions, particularly those that restrict individual liberties. As you work through this section, we encourage you to think critically about how these ethical debates affect your life, and how these conversations may change based on the context you are in. Please note that this module is not meant to be a comprehensive review of all ethical issues related to COVID-19, but rather provide a framework and highlight several salient topics. In addition, this module has a centrality of post-Scottish enlightenment thinking, which is the dominant framework in U.S. biomedical ethics. We recognize this bias and are working on subsequent sections that will include alternative models used throughout the world.

This module is different from the other modules; we recognize there are principles and terms with which you might not be familiar. Rather than providing facts and answers to your questions, the goal of this module is to equip our readers with a philosophical foundation for approaching ethical issues in healthcare, especially as they pertain to COVID-19. We expect that this module will take 2 hours to complete.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this module, medical students should be able to:

  • Compare the rudimentary schools, frameworks, and principles to approach ethical issues in healthcare

  • Apply ethical frameworks to debate how healthcare resources should be distributed during a pandemic

  • Describe how COVID-19 differentially impacts populations that are already vulnerable

  • Debate the boundaries of obligation for healthcare workers and medical students during a pandemic

  • Discuss the ethical principles of clinical research design and vaccine development during times of crises

  • Discuss the tension between autonomy and collectivism in relation to public health measures

Derek Soled
medicalstudentcovidcurriculum@gmail.com