Medicine
Ethical Frameworks for Resource Allocation in Intensive Care Units
Quick fact
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many hospitals adopted crisis standards of care that explicitly shifted from a traditional 'first-come, first-served' approach to a utilitarian 'save the most lives' framework, sometimes prompting public controversy and legal challenges.
Why this is interesting
When a hurricane knocks out a hospital's power and only one ventilator remains for three critically ill patients, who should receive it—and who decides?