Patient care and staff well-being in oncology during the coronavirus pandemic – ethical considerations

• Published in: SA journal of oncology Vol. 4; no. 1; pp. 1 - 3
• Main Author: Abratt, Raymond P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cape Town AOSIS 01-01-2020; African Online Scientific Information Systems (Pty) Ltd t/a AOSIS; AOSIS (Pty) Ltd
• Subjects: Breast cancer; Cancer therapies; Coronavirus infections; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Decision making; Disease; Diseases; Ebola virus; Epidemics; Ethics; Evidence-based medicine; Medical ethics; Medical personnel; Medical practice; Meetings; Oncology; Pandemics; Patients; Personal protective equipment; Prostate cancer; Psychological aspects; South Africa; Time; Workers; South Africa
• ISSN: 2518-8704; 2518-8704
• DOI: 10.4102/sajo.v4i0.129

At the time of writing this article, the world is severely disrupted by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) virus. This unprecedented pandemic will last many months, and its aftermath will be felt for years. People are struggling and anxious. This difficult situation has resulted in changes to our daily activities and medical practice. Nevertheless, cancer services continue to provide care and comfort for patients.We are grateful for the skills and exemplary ethics of all healthcare workers during this time. We look forward to resuming our familiar and rewarding interactions with colleagues. The extended use of virtual meetings and reconsidering our treatment approaches are examples of learning experiences that will surely influence us for many years to come.