Résumés
Abstract
Bioethics experts played a key role in ensuring a coherent ethical response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the fields of healthcare, public health, and scientific research in Canada. In the province of Quebec, a group of academic and practicing bioethicists met periodically in the early months of the pandemic to discuss approaches and solutions to ethical dilemmas encountered during the crisis. These meetings created the opportunity for a national survey of bioethics practitioners from different fields. The survey, in which forty-five Canadian bioethics practitioners (clinical ethicists, ethicist members of REBs and government health policy ethicists, or any bioethicist practicing outside of academia) participated, explored their concerns, challenges and opportunities during the first wave of the pandemic, with the objective of informing bioethics research about the difficulties experienced by bioethicists “in the field”. Participants reported increased stress levels, increased workloads, and a greater proportion of their work being devoted to public health ethics. Most of their concerns focused on groups other than themselves, such as health professionals, patients, research participants, and people in vulnerable socio-economic situations. An optimism about the future of bioethics was noted due to an increased awareness of the importance of bioethics by the public and by health and research institutions.
Keywords:
- COVID-19,
- bioethics,
- pandemic ethics,
- clinical ethics,
- research ethics,
- health policy ethics
Résumé
Les experts de la bioéthique ont joué un rôle clé pour assurer une réponse éthique cohérente à la pandémie de COVID-19 dans les domaines de la santé, de la santé publique et de la recherche scientifique au Canada. Dans la province de Québec, un groupe de bioéthiciens académiques et praticiens s’est rencontré périodiquement au début de la pandémie pour discuter d’approches et de solutions aux dilemmes éthiques rencontrés durant la crise. Ces rencontres ont créé l’opportunité d’un sondage national des praticiens de la bioéthique de différents domaines pour conserver un témoignage de ces rencontres informelles. Le sondage avait aussi pour objectif d’éclairer la recherche en bioéthique sur les difficultés vécues par les bioéthiciens « sur le terrain ». Les auteurs ont recueilli les réponses de quarante-cinq bioéthiciens canadiens, visant à connaitre leurs préoccupations, défis et opportunités rencontrés durant la première vague de la pandémie. Les participants ont rapporté une augmentation de leurs niveaux de stress, une augmentation de leur charge de travail, ainsi qu’une plus grande part de leur travail étant consacrée à l’éthique en santé publique. La plupart de leurs préoccupations se concentrait sur des groupes autres qu’eux-mêmes, tels les professionnels de la santé, les patients, les participants à la recherche et les personnes en contexte de vulnérabilité socioéconomique. Un optimisme quant au futur de la bioéthique fut dénoté en raison d’une conscience accrue de l’importance de la bioéthique par le public et par les institutions de santé et de recherche.
Mots-clés :
- COVID-19,
- bioéthique,
- éthique pandémique,
- éthique clinique,
- éthique de la recherche,
- éthique des politiques de santé
Parties annexes
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