Ethical challenges

Ethical issues are present in every provider-patient encounter. They become more poignant in the prehospital setting where decisions often need to be made in a time-sensitive manner and without all the necessary information available. The potential for retrospective scrutiny of actions performed in emergency settings can make decisions surrounding complex ethical issues particularly challenging and stressful for providers. EMS physicians and providers nonetheless can successfully manage the most common ethical dilemmas that arise in their daily practice with a thorough understanding of core ethical principles. This chapter presents specific situations in the prehospital setting in which ethical questions frequently arise and offers frameworks to assist in decision making.