European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

During pandemics there is cooperative efforts from the community forces to safe people and nation. The legal authorities regulate some obligations that may be considered by some medical practitioner and people as unethical in normal times. The aim of this study is to review these exceptional legal regulations with discussion from the ethical point of view according to the international code of ethical medical practice. Scientific literatures were reviewed to reach a consensus regarding the discussed issues that include the patients’ isolation and quarantine regulations with its implication on patient rights of autonomy and privacy, the regulations for notification and patient tracing with its implication of patient privacy and confidentiality are discussed. This study explores the ethical practices with the aim to reach consensus for an ethical healthcare strategy that can compile with the needed legal regulations in such exceptional circumstances of worldwide endangering pandemic. It was concluded that legal regulations during combat of pandemic should be designed to keep the patient rights with the community safety in same occasion by cooperation between the healthcare workers and the low enforcement authorities.