Examining hospital staff members' preferences for allocating a ventilator to a COVID-19 patient with and without Alzheimer's disease

Hospital staff members' preferences about who should be prioritized to receive the COVID-19 vaccine: People with or without Alzheimer's disease?

“…Nearly two-thirds of the participants reported that the 80-year-old patient with AD was the one who should be vaccinated last, with only one in eight participants believing he should be vaccinated first. Similar findings have been reported regarding the preferences of both the general public and medical staff members regarding the allocation of ventilators ( Idilbi, Abojabel, & Werner, 2021 , Werner & Landau, 2020 ). These findings suggest that hospital medical staff perceive an older person with a diagnosis of dementia as having the lowest chance of benefiting from the COVID-19 vaccine compared to other groups (i.e., a younger person with dementia or an older person without dementia) even though their clinical and family statuses are identical.…”

“…Based on previous studies on a related subject ( Idilbi, Abojabel, & Werner, 2021 , Werner & Landau, 2020 ), the factors examined included sociodemographic and professional factors, moral reasoning, beliefs about AD, and beliefs about COVID-19 itself.…”

“…Similar to other studies ( Idilbi, Abojabel, & Werner, 2021 , Werner & Landau, 2020 ), these variables included stigmatizing attitudes toward a person diagnosed with AD, beliefs about susceptibility to and fear of becoming ill with AD, as well as subjective knowledge and familiarity with AD.…”

“…These factors were selected on the basis of literature on the topic of preference-setting during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in general. For example, studies examining the correlates of other scarce medical resources (such as ventilators) during the pandemic, among laypersons as well as medical staff, found that demographic variables (e.g., education) ( Werner & Landau, 2020 ) and professional characteristics (e.g., type of profession – physicians, nurses, paramedical professionals) ( Idilbi, Abojabel, & Werner, 2021 ) were associated with participants' preferences. In addition, previous studies that have examined the allocation of resources under conditions of scarcity found preferences to be influenced by ethical considerations and moral values ( Emanuel et al, 2020 ).…”

The Relationship Between Patient Safety Culture and the Intentions of the Nursing Staff to Report a Near-Miss Event During the COVID-19 Crisis

“…This situation increased the workload and work pressure in hospitals, as well as the risk of medical errors that can compromise patient safety 4,11. COVID-19 caused serious health consequences that included extended hospitalization,12,13 which placed excessive pressure on nursing staff in frontline hospitals. Huge numbers of patients exceeding departmental capacity, the new experiences of an epidemic caused by an unknown virus, uncertainty about results, and a lack of workers all increased the emotional and mental distress of the staff14,15 and negatively impacted their work performance, especially surrounding the issue of patient safety culture 2…”