A policy and decision-making framework for South African doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

Faced with a pandemic, doctors around the world are forced to make difficult ethical decisions about clinical, economic and politically charged issues in medicine and healthcare, with little time or resources for support. A decision-making framework is suggested to guide policy and clinical practice to support the needs of healthcare workers, help to allocate scarce resources equitably and promote communication among stakeholders, while drawing on South African doctors' knowledge, culture and experience.